Home Care
SEIU negotiators tell state: “Move workers away from poverty”
Bargaining for a new contract covering more than 30,000 individual home care providers got underway on April 26, with SEIU Healthcare 775NW presenting member priorities and some initial proposals to the governor’s bargaining team.
“We laid the groundwork for our three primary goals: moving workers away from poverty, preserving our health insurance benefits, and restoring access to continuing education and advanced training,” said Adam Glickman, the union’s Vice President and chief negotiator.
Several members of the union’s 30-member bargaining team gave passionate testimonials about the obstacles they face in providing life-saving services.
Gayle Sevier’s story brought tears to many in the room. She struggles to meet her client’s critical care needs, because of the drastic cuts that have forced her to work unpaid hours every day. “Our clients are human beings and they deserve the same dignity and respect that everyone deserves,” Gayle said to the Governor’s bargaining team.
Nine additional bargaining sessions have been scheduled, beginning next month.
Win against Medicaid fraud
Home care workers advocated for their clients and standing up against cuts.
For months, we’ve been fighting to stop cuts to long-term care. We’ve written letters, sent emails, made thousands of phone calls and marched in Olympia. We have told them to raise revenue and close tax loopholes. And we’ve told them to save money by cracking down on Medicaid fraud by huge pharmaceutical companies.
Today, thanks to our advocacy work and support, Gov. Gregoire signed the Medicaid Fraud False Claims Act securing transparency in Medicaid spending.
In the past few months, we testified in two hearings to pass the Medicaid Fraud False Claims Act that will ensure accountability and transparency for every dollar spent on Medicaid. “Through your advocacy efforts we played a key role in passing this bill that ensures the public’s money goes to providing Medicaid services and not on fraud,” said caregiver and SEIU Healthcare 775NW member Chelsea Hensley.
“We have called on the legislature to find budget solutions that protect Washington’s most vulnerable,” said Adam Glickman-Flora, SEIU Healthcare 775NW vice president and director of public affairs. “This historic legislation is a step in the right direction, now we need to keep fighting to pass a final budget that protects critical services.”
Caregivers share their stories
Caregivers and clients are sharing their powerful and painful stories of how cuts have affected them. Day in and day out we care for our clients, often giving many hours without pay and usually without enough to keep our families out of poverty.
Thank Senate for putting forward a budget that saves long-term care services
Images from our latest Purple Presence in Olympia on March 1, 2012.
On Feb. 28, the Senate Democrats released a budget that had no cuts to home care hours, home care agencies or adult day health. Like the House version, this budget shows how our months of efforts have created a consensus in Olympia to stop cuts.
We’ve made major progress to stop cuts to long-term care in the legislature—our phone calls, letter writing and lobbying in Olympia have brought a new budget proposal. Now let’s thank our senators and urge them to pass a final budget that preserves vital services for seniors and people with disabilities.
As we reach the home-stretch in a long fight during this legislative session, we urge you to take a moment to thank your legislator for drafting a budget proposal that closes our budget gap, while maintaining many of the vital services that have faced deep cuts over the last few years.
The cuts to home care and long-term care are positive steps. We still need to work to preserve our long-term care ombudsman so that there is an advocate for nursing home residents and there are still two policy items that raise serious concerns because they could create long waiting lists for home care and restructure Medicaid personal care.
Long-term care is a critical service relied on by thousands of Washington’s most vulnerable and makes it easier for families to continue caring for their loved ones at home. As we watch our aging population grow, a strong home and community-based long-term care system will be more cost-effective and better for the thousands of people who rely on these services.
We’ve made huge headway to stop cuts to long-term care in the legislature. But our fight isn’t over and we now need to encourage the Senate to pass a final budget that protects our most vulnerable.
Photos of DSHS action in Seattle
On February 23, SEIU Healthcare775NW and allies went to the Seattle DSHS offices to fight back against the illegal cuts to client hours.
This demonstration was part of actions state-wide, to protest the state Department of Social and Health Services’s unilateral decision to cut in-home care services.
Over 30 protestors would not leave the office until DSHS faxed our letter to the Secretary Treasurer calling for DSHS to reverse the cuts that will result in unsafe and deteriorated conditions for thousands of clients across Washington state.
Our most vulnerable citizens receive 25% fewer hours that they are assessed to need.
The cuts to work hours for in-home care services by DSHS went into effect on February 1 without legislative approval and without prior notice to clients or workers.
Union members arrested protesting cuts to homecare services
Amping up their campaign to pressure the Department of Social and Health Services to reverse its unilateral cuts to home care services, SEIU Healthcare 775NW members and homecare clients staged a sit-in demonstration at the DSHS Vancouver office.
The protest was one of half a dozen being staged at DSHS offices around the state.
Chants of “Dirty laundry, DSHS, dirty laundry because of you,” dumping clients’ laundry in the lobby and members refusing to leave the office, brought police and six arrests for trespassing.
Read The Columbian’s news article.
The Department of Social and Health Services unilaterally imposed cuts to hours, which members say result in unsafe and unhealthy conditions for clients and are unfair for homecare service providers. The cuts went into effect on February 1 without legislative approval and without prior notice to clients or workers.
Among those participating was Clara Sevier, 89, who watched her daughter and homecare provider be escorted to a police car. Sevier lost eight-hours of care due to the unilateral action by DSHS.
“These hours were cut in secret and DSHS is refusing any appeal,” said Sharon Kitchel-Perdue, a home care worker from Olympia who came to Vancouver for the protest. “We cannot stand by while this agency continues to make cuts to the care we provide to our state’s most vulnerable citizens.”
Union members arrested protesting cuts to homecare services
In Vancouver, WA, unionized homecare workers protested cuts to work hours and reduced services during a sit-in demonstration at the local state Department of Social and Health Services on February 21.
The agency imposed cuts to hours, which protesters say are unfair for homecare service providers. The cuts that went into effect on February 1 without legislative action and without notifying SEIU Healthcare 775NW.
The cuts directly affect clients who rely on independent providers and homecare workers.
The Colombian reported that protesters brought in a pile of laundry into the DSHS office and held a sit-in protested. They chanted, “Dirty laundry, DSHS, dirty laundry because of you.”
In an act of civil disobedience, 6 members were arrested for refusing to leave the DSHS offices at 6pm. Clara Sevier, 89-years-old, watched her daughter and homecare worker be escorted to a police car, reports Paris Achen a local journalist on her twitter feed. Sevier lost 8-hours of care from the cuts.
Many more like Sevier have had 8-hours cut from services. The cut applies to home care clients who live 45 min. from central services or whose care providers do off-site laundry.
Prior to the arrest, protestors were locked in the lobby of the DSHS offices and locking out media reporters. Achen also reported that police sent 8 patrol cars to the protest, one for every protestor.
Home Care Lobby Day: United We Will Stop Cuts
This week more than 200 SEIU Healthcare 775 NW members from all over the state, converged on the capitol to demand that state legislators fund long-term, quality care a
nd stop the cuts to our programs.
“We’ve had enough cutting home care hours, enough cutting agency rates, enough of legislators ignoring the will of Washington voters,” said Sharon Kitchel Perdue, Home Care provider, Olympia, WA.
For three years, legislators have gone out of their way to tear down many of the successes SEIU Healthcare 775NW and its members have built over the last nine. In the next two months, the legislature will decide how to close a $1.5 billion budget gap, and many budget proposals once again take aim at long-term care programs.
This is why Home Care Aide Valerie Anderson-Webb bused to Olympia from Spokane. “We stormed the capitol during the November 28th special session to stop legislators from cutting more services. We need to fight back again, push for more revenue and tell them we won’t tolerate cuts,” Anderson-Webb said after visiting with her legislators.
But our fight isn’t ending today. If you couldn’t join us, make your voice heard; simply click this link, to write a letter to your legislator insisting that they fund quality, long-term care and follow the will of our state’s voters.
“Just because you couldn’t be here doesn’t mean we don’t need your help,” Tanika Aden, Individual Provider added. “Help us fight these cuts. Write a letter to your legislator — tell them to stop punishing the people who care for our state’s most vulnerable.”
Lawsuit: a step closer to overturning budget cuts
Thanks to last year’s Emergency Fund, our union moved one step closer to winning a lawsuit to overturn Washington state budget cuts to home care client hours.
Last spring, Washington legislators cut home care client hours by an average of 10 percent. We fought back by filing a lawsuit charging that the cuts to hours are illegal. Home care workers passed an emergency fund last summer to pay for this lawsuit.
On Dec. 16, 2011, the federal court blocked some of the cuts to home care hours made by the legislature. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a preliminary injunction in our favor. They ruled that the cuts may violate the civil rights of clients by threatening their ability to live independently in their own homes.
Cuts have been suspended and hours restored for the handful of individual plaintiffs involved in the case. However, the court decision does not immediately apply to all home care clients and workers.
We’re fighting now to extend the ruling to apply to all home care clients and workers. The state of course is trying to overturn the ruling and keep the hours cuts in place. If we win this battle, hours will be restored and for seniors and people with disabilities who rely on home care.
Court cases can be unpredictable and slow, but this decision is our first victory in a long fight to defend our members against unfair hours cuts. The court could final decision in the next six months on whether to suspend the cuts to all home care clients.
The emergency fund was approved by more than 85 percent of Washington home care workers last summer paid for our union’s part of this lawsuit. We joined with the ARC of Washington and a dozen individual clients for the lawsuit, arguing that the cut threatens the quality of client care.
Our 2012 Legislative Agenda
Quality Care, Not Cuts
Protecting health and long-term care services for those that need it and getting Washingtonians back to work should be our top priorities.
In the 2012 legislative session, we ask the legislature to:
• Reject cuts to eligibility or hours of care for home care services.
• Reject cuts to home care agency and Adult Day Health Services that would hurt small businesses, force layoffs and closures, and eliminate critical services for vulnerable residents.
• Follow the will of the voters and implement Initiative 1163 in order to protect quality care and create good jobs to meet the increased demand from the aging population.
• Protect low-wage nursing home workers and residents.
Create Jobs, Not Cuts
Another “all cuts budget” would result in thousands more Washingtonians losing jobs and would harm our economic recovery.
The legislature should:
• Approve with a 2/3 vote or send a referendum to the people to raise revenue to stop painful cuts.
• Pursue revenue bonding to bridge life-sustaining healthcare programs such as Medicaid, Basic
Health Plan, and Disability Lifeline.
• Sunset all tax exemptions and establish stronger disclosure and accountability standards.