St. Paul, MN – As the dust settles on the 2013 legislative session, members of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) say it will go down in history as one of the most successful legislative sessions, providing a balanced approach to making key investments in our middle class, while expanding the rights of collective bargaining for workers. (more…)
St. Paul, MN – More than 50 hours after first arriving at the Capitol Saturday afternoon, Sumer Spika joined a tired, but elated group of home care workers and recipients in celebration. (more…)
St. Paul, MN – Since December, Sumer Spika has been talking to anyone who will listen about why she’s supporting a bill that would allow her and 12,000 other home care workers to choose whether they want to join together in a union. (more…)
St. Paul, MN – Karen Urman has been fighting for the right to form a union ever since Republicans voted to cut her pay by 20 percent in 2011.
“Because I work as a PCA (personal care attendant) for my son, Ziggy, the Republican-controlled legislature voted to cut my pay,” said Urman, who lives in Mounds View. “That’s when I realized PCAs and home care workers needed to join together to collectively bargain with the state to protect us against further cuts.” (more…)
St. Paul, MN – After 11 committees and a record-setting 17-hour debate on the Senate floor, home care workers are celebrating a win after the Senate voted 35 – 32 to pass a bill that would extend collective bargaining rights to workers in self-directed public home care programs.
“I am so excited to see the Senate pass such an important bill to my family and me,” said Darleen Henry, a 23-year-old home care worker from Rosemount who cares for her mom. “Republicans stalled all night, but I’m happy the Senate ultimately granted me the same rights enjoyed by other workers to simply choose whether or not we want to join together in a union.”
Ziggy Norberg and his mom, Karen Urman, joined Henry in celebration. Norgerg was born with Spina Bifida. At 19, he now attends community college and is a leader in his community, something he says is possible because of his mom, who works for him as his PCA (personal care attendant).
“I am so fortunate to have my mom, because there are fewer and fewer people entering this field due to low wages and a lack of benefits,” said Norberg. “My mom shouldn’t have to struggle to get by because she is a home care worker. It would be nice if along with the hard, round-the-clock work of being a home care worker, my mom could enjoy the benefits and fair wages of a real career.”
Urman assists Norberg with daily tasks that allow him to live independently, rather than in a group home or other institution. The mother-son duo have been a constant presence in the Capitol since February, when lawmakers introduced a bill that would grant collective bargaining rights to self-directed home care workers in public programs. Unlike workers employed by agencies, these workers employed directly by their clients do not currently have the right to join a union under state law, even though the state provides the funding and sets reimbursement rates that determine the workers’ wages. If passed, the bill would allow the workers to call for an election to decide if they would like to join together to collectively bargain with the state for better wages, benefits and standards.
“This bill will strengthen the self-direction model that is so vital to these programs,” said Norberg. “It will also make sure that we can attract the best people to the profession. Home care workers like my Mom should have the same rights as others to join a union and a have a voice in their career. Their work saves the state and taxpayers millions each year – without these workers, the state would have to foot the bill for thousands of people entering nursing homes and institutions.”
Urman, Norberg and Henry were among the sea of purple that awaited the Senate vote which began Tuesday afternoon. By morning, purple still dotted the seats of the gallery.
If passed, the bill would allow Minnesota to follow in footsteps of several other states which have passed similar legislation. Those states have seen a reduction in worker turnover and a stabilization of the workforce. Workers and participants there have also seen an increased access to services, better wages and benefits, the creation of registry and referral services, greater access to training and a voice on the job.
“We just want the same rights as other workers,” said Urman. “Nurses and teachers have the right to form a union. The work we do isn’t more important, but it certainly isn’t less important. We should have the same right to choose for ourselves if we want to join together in a union.”
The bill would extend organizing rights to roughly 12,000 self-directed home care workers in Minnesota.
“When the day finally comes that I might need to find someone else, I want to rest assured that I will be able to find someone who takes the job seriously like my mom does,” said Norberg.
The House is expected to take up the Senate version of the bill later this week. The Governor is expected to sign the bill as well.
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SEIU Healthcare Minnesota unites more than 15,000 healthcare and long-term care workers in hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, and home care throughout the state of Minnesota. SEIU represents more than 30,000 members across Minnesota and is a powerful voice working to improve the lives of all Minnesotans.
St. Paul, MN – Nikki Villavicencio-Tollison is not new to the political process. As a leader among disability advocates, she has spent years working to improve services for the disability community. This year, among her many priorities, is a bill that would grant collective bargaining rights to personal care attendants (PCAs) and other home care workers in self-directed programs. (more…)
Great letter from Janet Konezny, a home care worker in Edina: “I want a union for home care workers so we can have more of a voice in how the system works. This will help ensure there is a stable, viable workforce. We also need to prioritize mental health more in our state, and by having a voice with a home care union, we can advocate for this kind of change.”
St. Paul, MN – A bill granting collective organizing rights to home care workers seeking to form a union is headed for its second round of committee hearings in the Senate and House next week after a vote of 7-5 in the Senate State and Local Government committee today. The bill would address the looming workforce crisis facing Minnesota’s long-term healthcare programs by increasing the ability to attract and retain personal care attendants and other home care workers. (more…)
St. Paul, MN – Today the Home Care bill, HF 844, cleared its first hurdle in the House, after a vote of 12-7 in the Health and Human Services Policy committee. The vote came after passionate testimony from home care workers and those they care for about the valuable services home care workers provide to the state and the difficulty in retaining talented workers due to low wages, lack of benefits and poor working conditions. (more…)
St. Paul, MN – Home care workers turned out in force Monday for the first committee hearing for SF 665, which would grant collective organizing rights to home care workers seeking to form a union with the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). The bill would address the looming workforce crisis facing Minnesota’s long-term healthcare programs by giving home care workers in self-directed programs the ability to negotiate directly with the state, which determines and funds their wages and benefits.
At the first hearing in the Senate State and Local Government committee, Sen. Sandy Pappas (DFL – District 65) moved to merge SF 665 with SF 778, a bill that would also grant organizing rights to in-home childcare providers. Sen. Pappas says both bills would extend the Public Employment Labor Relations Act (PELRA) to cover the workers for purposes of collective bargaining with the state over wages and benefits.
“These bills are about lifting up vulnerable workers who do incredibly important work in our society,” said Sen. Pappas. “Allowing home care and childcare workers the same right to organize as other workers helps stabilize the workforce and raises the standards of care for seniors, children, and people with disabilities. Workers in both of these fields are predominantly women and have too often had their work overlooked and devalued as ‘women’s work.’ We need to empower these workers so they can continue providing quality care to Minnesotans of all ages.”
Senator Chris Eaton (DFL – District 40), co-author of SF 665, supported the move.
“As a former public health nurse, I know how incredibly important home care workers are to ensuring Minnesotans can remain in their home and retire with dignity,” said Sen. Eaton. “I am supportive of the right of all workers to form a union. These workers should have the same right under state law as teachers, nurses, and firefighters to form a union and negotiate with the people who determine their wages and benefits. Doing so will help us attract and retain more workers, which is crucial given that the need for home care workers will continue to increase as the Baby Boomers age.”
Two home care workers testified about the work they do, including Shaquonica Johnson, a home care worker from St. Paul who cares for people living with disabilities.
“I am passionate about caring for people,” said Johnson. “I help with transportation, feeding, dressing, bathing and medical appointments. This may sound like basic tasks, but they are fundamental to secure an independent life. For people not living with a disability we often take these tasks for granted. I know because last year I suffered from two strokes and was forced to re-learn the basic tasks I had helped others with for years. I think one of the scariest parts of this experience was that after all the care I’ve given, I did not have any health insurance from my job to show for it. I’ve made very low wages, forcing me to choose between paying my bills or feeding my children. I am not allotted sick leave or vacation time. I believe that if we come together to form a union we can change that.”
The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development projects demand for more than 50,000 new home care workers in Minnesota over the next 10 years. However, the core labor pool from which the state’s workers are traditionally drawn – women aged
25-54 – is expected to decline by nearly 2,000 workers. These workers provide direct support for the elderly and people with disabilities. Those who work for clients who direct their own care currently do not have the right to form a union under state law.
Rochelle Turan of Brooklyn Park also testified about the care her sons with developmental disabilities receive from home care workers, saying the workers help keep her sons safe.
“Without the help of these skilled people coming into our home we would be forced with the decision of how to care for our children,” said Turan. “I grew up in a family where I watched my single mother have to make the decision to send my brother to a residential facility away from our home because of the severity of his disability and the lack of support to families in their homes in those times. Please believe me when I say I was devastated as a young girl. These workers allow family members not to have to make the decision I watched my mother go through. This is what makes home care workers so valuable.”
The bill was held over until the committee reconvenes on Wednesday. The home care bill will have its first hearing in the House on Tuesday, where it comes before the House Health and Human Services Policy committee. Rep. Michael Nelson is the co-author in the House.
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SEIU Healthcare Minnesota unites more than 15,000 healthcare and long term care workers in hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, and home care throughout the state of Minnesota. SEIU represents more than 30,000 members across Minnesota and is a powerful voice working to improve the lives of all Minnesotans.
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