Posted by David Ward on February 16th, 2010 at 6:58 pm | 1 Comment »
Patricia Smith
We are excited to report that the Senate confirmed President Obama’s appointment of M. Patricia Smith as Solicitor of the U.S. Department of Labor.
This is great news for direct care workers because Ms. Smith has a proven track record as a champion for American workers. In her new position, she will be responsible for enforcing national labor laws. The DCA is hopeful that she will make the extension of federal wage and overtime protections to home care workers a top priority once she takes office.
Related material
The New York Times story on Patricia Smith’s appointment
Posted by Leonila Vega on February 16th, 2010 at 6:12 pm | No Comments »
Aaron Pickering
The Direct Care Alliance will welcome another new staff member and boost our presence in the nation’s capitol when Aaron P. Pickering joins us as our full-time director of communications next week.
Aaron comes to us from Equal Justice Works, where he helped promote the work of law students and attorneys providing pro bono representation to low-income and vulnerable individuals and families. As their senior communications specialist, he was part of the team that developed their communications and marketing strategy. Aaron brings the right combination of skills and passion for social justice that will benefit the DCA as we fight for improving the direct care profession. Continue reading »
Posted by David Ward on February 1st, 2010 at 7:28 pm | 1 Comment »
President Obama
In his State of the Union Address last Tuesday, President Obama reiterated that his Administration’s #1 priority is to create more jobs and get our economy back on track. He also challenged Congress: “Don’t walk away from health care reform.”
The DCA applauds the President’s call to action. With more than a quarter of all direct care workers lacking health insurance, making quality health care affordable for all Americans remains our top priority. We’re also working to get direct care on the job creation agenda, so some of that funding will go to improve the quality of direct care jobs, ensuring that we can satisfy consumer demand for a stable, well-qualified workforce.
Direct care jobs are expected to be among the fastest growing occupations in the USA over the next decade. That means our nation is facing a crucial choice. We can continue to tolerate low-paying, poor-quality jobs that swell the ranks of the working poor and lead to poor care. Or we can invest in the direct care workforce. Continue reading »
Posted by Elise Nakhnikian on January 31st, 2010 at 2:55 pm | No Comments »
Evelyn Coke
The DCA’s battle for justice for home care workers got a powerful assist on January 29 when a New York Times editorial called on President Obama to right the wrong that leaves home care workers without minimum wage and overtime protections under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act. If he does not do so, the editorial urges the Congress to pass a bill named for Evelyn Coke, the home care aide whose challenge to that injustice made it all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.
“Lilly and Evelyn” points out that the first bill President Obama signed into law was the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which overturned a Supreme Court decision denying a woman restitution for having been paid her less than her male colleagues for years. “It is past time for Mr. Obama to see that similar justice is done for Evelyn Coke,” the editorial states. Continue reading »
Posted by Judy Clinco on January 29th, 2010 at 3:49 pm | 1 Comment »
Judy Clinco
It’s not easy to start up a direct care worker association, but with the right members and allies, you’d be surprised how much you can get done.
Our association, the Arizona Direct Care Worker Association (ADCWA), started last year. We are still in the process of building up our membership, but we already have some really powerful advocates for their profession. And we have a plan for the year, which we’re all working hard to implement.
After the DCA’s Vera Salter did a Power Me workshop for us last summer, we invited all the association members who attended the workshop to become part of a leadership circle. Six of them did, and they’ve gotten a lot done in the last six months. Continue reading »
Posted by Timothy Doe on January 19th, 2010 at 2:28 pm | 10 Comments »
Timothy Doe
You must first be a believer if you would be an achiever.
Late last year, something happened that humbled me more than anything else in the five years that I’ve worked at the Catholic Community Services (CCS) Community Living Program in Tucson: I was chosen as our 2009-2010 Employee of the Year.
I have been assisting people with disabilities since I was in high school. I do this work because I love it, to accomplish goals, and to feel that I am contributing to something. I usually don’t feel as if anyone other than the person I am assisting is aware of what I do. If you’d asked me about that, I would have said it didn’t matter, but this award has made me realize how good it feels to have your work acknowledged.
It has also made me think about the road that led me to this profession that I love. Continue reading »
Posted by Leonila Vega on January 15th, 2010 at 5:12 pm | 4 Comments »
Bob Hudek
I am delighted to announce that Bob Hudek has joined our staff as director of the DCA’s Voices Institute.
Bob is highly experienced at both grassroots organizing and training. He has developed and conducted training programs for unions and citizen organizations on effective organizing, building grass roots power, leadership development and coalition-building.
I met Bob when he was running Citizen Action of Wisconsin, which he revitalized through coalition building and grass roots organizing. He has also served as executive director of the Coalition for Consumer Rights and as national field director of Citizen Action and the Citizen/Labor Energy Coalition.
For the past several years, Bob has also been essential to our Voices Institute, which he was instrumental in developing. Continue reading »
Posted by Tracy Dudzinski on January 7th, 2010 at 3:58 pm | No Comments »
Application form and details
This spring, the DCA’s Voices Institute will introduce a state-level training program for people who want to improve the lives of direct support workers and the people they support. If you’re a direct support worker or a long-term care recipient in Wisconsin who has a passion for that cause, we’d love to see you there!
Advocacy Voices Together is sponsored by the Direct Care Alliance, the Wisconsin Board for People with Developmental Disabilities (WBPDD), and the Wisconsin Direct Caregiver Alliance (WIDCA). The program teams direct support workers with people who receive long-term care services. Together, they will learn how to build support for better direct care worker wages, benefits and working conditions. Continue reading »
Posted by Jenn Craigue on January 4th, 2010 at 5:47 pm | No Comments »
Jenn Craigue
The DCA’s board of directors is looking for a few good direct care workers.
As the national advocacy voice of direct care workers in long-term care, we’re dead serious about developing direct care worker leaders who can lead our fight for more respect and better wages, benefits, and training. Part of that process is making sure that we have a strong, diverse group of direct care workers on our board of directors who can represent the needs and opinions of our workforce.
This month for the first time, our board is being led by two direct care workers – myself and my colleague Tracy Dudzinski. Tracy and I are part of a direct care worker subcommittee that has been working on how to get more workers on our board from more types of long-term care settings. We’re looking for strong leaders with a passion for the work they do and a strong desire to improve the job and its image nationwide. We also want workers from all different walks of life, ethnic backgrounds, and parts of the country.
If that sounds like you, please read my letter of invitation, fill out an application, and send it back to Leonila Vega by January 31. And if it sounds like someone you know, please tell them about this opportunity and encourage them to apply.
My letter in English
My letter in Spanish
My letter in French
My letter in Filipino
Jenn Craigue, Licensed Nursing Assistant
President, Board of Directors
Direct Care Alliance
Posted by Leonila Vega on December 30th, 2009 at 10:41 pm | No Comments »
Leonila Vega
The end of 2009 has brought us close to the end of the long legislative battle over health care reform. Looking ahead, we expect job creation to be at the top of Congress’ list of priorities in 2010.
That’s why the DCA is working with a coalition of more than 50 national groups and nearly 100 local and state organizations called Jobs for America Now.
Part of the coalition’s five-point plan for getting America back to work is to “directly create jobs that put people to work helping communities’ meet pressing needs,” and few needs are more pressing than the growing demand for high-quality long-term care services.
Continue reading »
