Latest Court Ruling Positive Sign for Home Care Clients, Workers
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.
Initiative 1163 A Big Victory for Long-Term Care
Voters In Washington Again Vote to Protect Seniors and People with Disabilities - Time for the Legislature to Listen.
For the second time in three years, voters in Washington State have overwhelmingly supported better training standards for long-term care workers. This is a major victory for long-term care, both for the quality care of our seniors and people with disabilities and the thousands of low-income caregivers who provide that care.
After repeated delays of I-1029 by the state legislature, sponsors of the 2008 initiative went back to the ballot again, calling on voters to make this priority clear. Throughout this campaign, the opponents of 1163 have put out false and wildly exaggerated cost estimates that far exceed those given by the Office of Financial Management.
Nonetheless, the voters agreed that making these long overdue reforms is a priority, even at a time when the state is facing a difficult budget situation. Ultimately, this was a referendum on whether improved training and background checks for long-term care workers are worth the cost. For the second time, the voters resoundingly said "yes."
We understand the severe budget deficit facing the state due to the Great Recession. We look forward to working with the governor and legislators to find the revenue needed to implement these voter-mandated training standards, while protecting services for our most vulnerable citizens.
There are several ways to raise revenue for long-term care, such as through eliminating the state subsidy for the adult family home industry so they finally pay the full cost of oversight just like every other health care industry group. The state could impose a safety net assessment on the home and community based long-term care industry similar to that used with nursing homes and hospitals in recent years, and could also advantage of the Community First Choice Option to draw down additional federal funds through the Affordable Care Act.
We also support closing unnecessary tax exemptions and loopholes, bonding against future revenue to create a bridge to preserve critical health programs until health care reform is implemented, and exploring a temporary general tax increase to preserve critical services.
What is clear is that voters in Washington have again made a statement that better training and federal background checks are a priority for voters and also need to be a priority for our legislators. The quality care for our seniors and people with disabilities is at risk and it is time for our legislators to stop ignoring the will of millions of Washington voters - 1163 needs to be implemented now.
Convention Banquet Award Winners
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Members, allies and a client were honored for contributions to our union at the annual 2011 Convention and Leadership Conference Banquet Saturday evening, Sept. 10.
Award winners are:
Grassroots Advocates of the Year: Sharon Kitchel-Purdue and David Hoffman (client)
Fighting for a Fair Economy Award: Ivy Williams
Taking it to the Streets Champions – Ivy Williams, Sharon Kitchel-Perdue, Judy Harris, Denese Wallace, Valerie Anderson-Webb, Karen Washington, Linda Lee, Cylvia Laybourn, Medina Tongu, Jacquie Keen, Pamla McCarty, Rhonda Paul and Berta Alvarado
Legislators of the Year – The “Freshmen 11” – Laurie Jinkins, Andy Billig, Joe Fitzgibbon, David Frockt, Connie Landenburg, Kristine Lytton, Luis Moscoso, Derek Stanford, Chris Reykdal, Steve Tharinger and Cindy Ryu.
Quality Care Leadership Award – The Arc of Washington State