Archive for ‘Advocacy’

Stumping for the Direct Care Job Quality Improvement Act

Posted by on October 11th, 2011 at 9:29 am | 1 Comment »

Joan Leah

When I returned home after attending this year’s Voices Institute, I made a commitment to myself. I committed to not waste the investment made in me by DCA; the confidence placed in me by my association, the Florida Professional Association of Care Givers, when they recommended me for the training; or the commitment I made to my peers during my time at the VI. I vowed to advocate for the changes our long-term care system so desperately needs, starting with the Direct Care Job Quality Improvement Act.

I hope hearing about my journey to carry that message to the Hill will inspire you, and perhaps arm you with tips you can use to make your own journey. The main one is: DON’T GIVE UP! Getting through to your legislators takes work and persistence, but you can find many helpful tools on the DCA website, and DCA staff and Voices Institute alumni are here to help too.  Continue reading »

DCA, Allies Host Senate Briefing on the Companionship Exemption

Posted by on October 11th, 2011 at 1:56 am | 3 Comments »

Last Thursday, direct care workers and their allies met with Senate staffers to educate them about the companionship exemption and the negative impact that it is having on home- and community-based services. The companionship exemption exempts home care workers from minimum wage and overtime protections under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act. Twenty-one states currently offer basic labor protections to home care workers, but workers in the other 29 are without protection unless the federal law is changed. The Senate staff in attendance heard from direct care workers, an employer, and health and labor experts about why it’s important for home care workers to be covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act. Continue reading »

Proposed Bill Would Deny Basic Rights to Home Care Workers

Posted by on October 4th, 2011 at 8:27 am | 4 Comments »

Download the DCA press release.

H.R. 3066, a bill proposed by Rep. Lee Terry (R-NE), would destabilize a crucial workforce by ensuring that home care workers continue to be denied minimum wage and overtime protections under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

Personal and home care aides constitute one of the ten fastest-growing employment categories in the nation. They provide a critical service to frail elders and other people with disabilities, yet they average less than $10 an hour and typically receive few or no benefits such as health insurance or paid time off. Last year, their wages actually declined slightly from the year before. These conditions contribute to the profession’s high turnover and job vacancy rates, which threaten the continuity of care that is key to care quality. Continue reading »

Talking to Senator Collins about the Companionship Exemption

Posted by on September 20th, 2011 at 12:37 am | 3 Comments »

A simple phone call can help educate your senator about the needs of direct care workers—and he or she may be more receptive than you might expect, as this report from Voices Institute graduate Ted Rippy demonstrates.

Senator Susan Collins of Maine

Senator Collins

Late last month, I had the opportunity to talk to Maine’s Senator Susan M. Collins about the Direct Care Job Quality Improvement Act. The conversation was very relaxed and took place over the phone. She was a very gracious lady, so talking to her just felt like talking to another human being.

Senator Collins asked why minimum wage and overtime protections weren’t already in place for home care workers. I explained that in 1974 the Fair Labor Standards Act companionship exemption was removed from domestic workers like chauffeurs, butlers, cooks, gardeners, maids, and nannies, but not from home care workers because, back then, home care was a simple thing, more like asking a neighbor to check in on Mom or Dad than the skilled profession it is today. Senator Collins responded by saying that home care aides have become more professional over the years. Continue reading »

PA Home Care Workers Address Sympathetic Politician

Posted by on September 12th, 2011 at 8:50 pm | 3 Comments »

Rep. Murphy and Janis Durick

Home care workers had the full attention of Representative Tim Murphy on September 2, at a meeting hosted by DCA and From the Heart Companion Services in Greensburg, Pennsylvania.

“I was very pleased that Representative Murphy came and listened to us. I really was,” says From the Heart owner Janis Durick. “He already had an attentive ear and was willing to help us with some of the things that we needed, but I figure the comments from all the direct care workers made him that much more open to what we do. Each one is different, and their clients are different.” Continue reading »

Why Paid Sick Leave is Good for Everybody’s Health

Posted by on September 12th, 2011 at 8:49 pm | No Comments »

This compelling video from Family Values at Work makes it clear why paid sick leave is a public health issue. Playing off the movie Contagion, it features five low-wage workers, who explain how they endanger not just their own health but the health of everyone they encounter when they go to work sick. Yet they must work when they’re ill, since they don’t have sick leave and can’t afford to take unpaid time.

The video features foodservice workers and school bus drivers, but it also applies to the many direct care workers who do not get paid sick days. Simply staying home is rarely an option for these low-paid workers, yet they risk passing on their germs to the people they assist, who may be frail and particularly vulnerable to infection.

Visit the Family Values at Work website to learn more about how to join the fight for paid sick leave.

Leonila Vega Joins LTQA Board

Posted by on September 6th, 2011 at 11:18 am | 2 Comments »

DCA Executive Director Leonila Vega has accepted a seat on the board of directors of the Long-Term Quality Alliance, a broad-based group of experts that work together to improve the care quality and the quality of life for people receiving long-term services and supports. LTQA members represent consumers and family caregivers, providers, health service and researchers, evaluators and quality experts, private and public purchasers of care, foundations, think tanks, and agencies of the federal government that oversee aging issues and health care quality issues.

“LTQA is pleased to welcome the Direct Care Alliance to the board of directors, represented by Leonila Vega,” says LTQA Executive Director Doug Pace. “Direct care workers play a crucial role in the delivery of long-term services and supports as we all strive to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of care and quality of life of those who so desperately need our help.” Continue reading »

Let’s Not Let Home Instead Shut Down a Path to Justice

Posted by on September 6th, 2011 at 10:58 am | 2 Comments »

Helen Hanson

It is extremely troubling that Home Instead, a national chain of home care franchises, wants to take the power away from the U.S. Secretary of Labor to undo the companionship exemption that home care workers unjustly find themselves under. This makes absolutely no sense. Who should make the rules pertaining to the home care labor force if not the Department of Labor?

Home care workers are not the neighbor next door, checking in on Grandma or Grandpa to make sure things are okay. They are, for the most part, trained professionals whose specialized skills and knowledge allow them to care for other human beings with empathy and compassion. Most home care workers are truly caring individuals who work hard to ensure that elders and younger people with disabilities can remain home and as independent as possible. What does it say about the work our society values when chauffeurs and butlers are covered under minimum wage and overtime protections, but the home care workforce is not? Continue reading »

A Way for New Yorkers to Celebrate Labor Day

Posted by on September 5th, 2011 at 9:55 am | No Comments »

Leonila Vega

Labor Day is a time to celebrate American workers, and I would like to thank the members of Congress that have demonstrated their commitment to working class Americans by co-sponsoring the Direct Care Job Quality Improvement Act of 2011.

This legislation would extend federal minimum wage and overtime protections to home care workers and create other initiatives to improve direct care jobs. Turnover for direct care workers in New York is as high as 47%. This is unacceptable and unsustainable for our long-term care system. Continue reading »

The Time for Respect is Now

Posted by on August 22nd, 2011 at 4:22 pm | 1 Comment »

David Ward

It’s nothing short of shameful that we have not yet given home care workers the respect and recognition they deserve by assuring them minimum wage and overtime protections under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). On a consistent basis, I hear from workers who are tired of not received these modest protections, which are afforded to most workers under FLSA. And more and more, I’m hearing from employers and consumers that high turnover rates are damaging our home care system, and that workers deserve these basic labor protections.

Since the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) interpreted the regulation to mean that home care workers are exempt from minimum wage and overtime protections in 1975, an unsuccessful U.S. Supreme Court case and multiple legislative and regulatory efforts have attempted to fix this problem. While it is frustrating that we have not yet won this battle, I am encouraged by the progress that we’re making through our grassroots legislative and regulatory campaigns. Continue reading »

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