Print This Page Email This Page

Special Session Ahead - Still Time for the Quality Assurance Fee

Thursday, March 11

Although this year's legislative session is expected to end at midnight tonight, it looks like lawmakers will come back for a special session next week.

We need to keep up the fight to Save Long-Term Care and Stop the Cuts.

Our emails and phone calls are making a difference, but we need to keep up the pressure. Click here to send an email to your legislator to urge them to support the Quality Assurance Fee: http://775nw.seiu.org/page/speakout/2010leg511

» Read more

KWA Workers and Management Reach an Agreement!!!

Tuesday, March 9

We’ve tentatively agreed on a new home care worker contract with the Korean Women’s Association. The worker/members of our KWA Bargaining Team all strongly urge our brothers and sisters to VOTE YES on the KWA Contract.

» Read more

Update from Olympia #9

Washington State Legislature

Monday, March 8


There are only four days left in the regular session, and the legislature is busy trying to reach agreement between the House and Senate budget and revenue proposals. If they can’t reach agreement by Thursday, March 11th, they’ll have to ask the Governor to convene a special session.

IN THIS ISSUE14,000 Names Delivered to Key Budget Writers * House Protects Adult Day Health Services, but Rejects Amendments to Fund Nursing Homes and Home Care * Operating Budget Process * Bad Nursing Home Bills Moving Through Legislature * Grassroots Legislative Organizer Blog

COMING UP THIS WEEK Monday: Rapid Response * Tuesday: Legislative Conference Call * Thursday: Sine Die

» Read more

Grassroots Legislative Organizer's Blog #9

Cathy Byrd, Grassroots Legislative Organizer

Sunday, March 7


Delivering 14,000 Names On Monday, we delivered the names of 14,000 caregivers who called on the legislature this session to raise revenue and prevent cuts to home care and other critical long-term care services. Because we don’t have a common work place, we took everyone that tried to call their legislator or who signed the petition online/over the phone and delivered them to key budget decision makers.

» Read more

Rebuilding Our Economic Future Public Service Announcement on the Budget

Thursday, March 4



This is a last minute push to email legislators to stop cuts to home care hours.

Wednesday, March 3

The House of Representatives hasn't yet voted on amendments that would restore the cuts they made. We still have a chance to pass these amendments.

Email your Representatives as soon as possible. Urge them to prevent further cuts to hours.
Last week the House and Senate finally released their budget proposals. The Senate's proposal was a little better than the House and with some changes over the weekend, they restored some of the home care cuts we were facing.

But the House still needs to get their act together. They released a plan for raising revenue yesterday - which is good.

But they still need to prevent further cuts to home care. This is bad.

Click here to send an email. Time is running out.

Stop Nursing Home Cuts - Tell Legislators to Support the Quality Assurance Fee

Tuesday, March 2

Bailee Mayor, a nursing home worker from Vancouver, meeting with Rep. Jim Moeller on February 11

The Washington House and Senate Budgets are in, and they include cuts to nursing home funding. There is a way for legislators to prevent these cuts – pass the Quality Assurance Fee.

Call the Legislative Hotline toll-free at 1 (800) 562-6000 and tell legislators to stop cuts to nursing home funding by passing the Quality Assurance Fee.

The Senate’s budget proposal would cut nursing home funding by $58 million, while the House’s budget proposal would cut nursing homes by $17 million. Everybody knows that both nursing home workers and residents can’t afford any cuts.

A proposed Quality Assurance Fee (QAF) would prevent these cuts without running up the state budget deficit. The QAF is House Bill 3021 and Senate Bill 6751. The QAF can still be passed this session.

» Read more

Cathy Byrd, David Lindberg, Ivy Williams and Flash Scaff, Jr. Deliver 14,000 Signatures to Key Budget Writers in Olympia

Monday, March 1

Four home care workers - Cathy Byrd, David Lindberg, Ivy Williams and Flash Scaff, Jr.- spoke for 14,000 in Olympia when they delivered names of members who support raising revenue and preventing cuts to home care and other critical long-term care services. We collected the names in two big binders and delivered them to key budget decision makers. Since home care workers don't have a common workplace, the petition “signed” virtually or over the phone.


Video



We met with Speaker of the House Frank Chopp; Representative Kelli Linville (Chair, House Ways and Means Committee); Representative Eric Pettigrew (Chair, House Health and Human Services Appropriations Committee); Representative Eileen Cody (Chair, House Health and Wellness Committee); Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown and Marty Loesch (Governor Gregoire’s Director of Outreach and General Counsel). We also delivered books to the offices of Senator Margarita Prentice (Chair, Senate Ways and Means Committee); Senator Rodney Tom (Vice Chair, Operating Budget, Senate Ways and Means Committee); and Senator Karen Keiser (Chair, Senate Health and Long-Term Care Committee).

Pictures



Caregivers Praise Senate For Leadership To Protect Seniors & People With Disabilities

Saturday, February 27 David Rolf, President, SEIU Healthcare 775NW

The Senate Ways and Means Committee adopted amendments to its proposed budget restoring funding for critical home care and adult day health services for vulnerable residents.

“Senate Democrats showed real leadership today in protecting quality care for the most vulnerable,” said SEIU Healthcare 775NW President David Rolf. “Their actions will help tens of thousands of seniors, people with disabilities, and their low-wage caregivers.”

» Read more

Urge the Legislature to Stop Cutting Long-Term Care

Wednesday, February 24

Yesterday, the House and the Senate released their budget proposals. Although they both include plans for raising revenue, both budgets put the quality of care for vulnerable seniors and people with disabilities at risk.

Click here to tell them to stop cutting long-term care!

Urge them to reject proposals that ELIMINATE home care services for 1400 seniors and people with disabilities, and proposals to make DEEP CUTS to hours for 9000 seniors and people with disabilities. This is on top of the 5 million hours that were already cut last year.

» Read more

Proposed Budgets – Especially Senate’s – Fail To Protect Quality Care For Seniors and People with Disabilities

Tuesday, February 23

Tens of thousands of low-income seniors and people with disabilities are able to live in their own homes thanks to in-home care services. And tens of thousands more live in nursing homes.

But the proposed Senate budget today fails to adequately protect quality care for seniors and people with disabilities. “The Senate may be increasing revenue, but not much if it is going to protect key services for seniors and people with disabilities,” said SEIU Healthcare 775NW Vice President Adam Glickman. “These budgets threaten the quality of care for the most vulnerable, kill thousands of jobs, and reduce income for low-wage worker and their communities.” The House budget makes key improvements, though still makes deep cuts to hours of care for vulnerable home care clients.

» Read more

IP Bargaining Survey

Our bargaining team will start negotiating our next two-year State of Washington Individual Provider Contract (2011-2013) in just a few weeks. We need your help.

Click here to fill out a survey about your priorities for our next two-year contract.

Let us know about your overall priorities, your thoughts on wages, training and health care. If you have any questions, please feel free to call our Member Resource Center toll-free at 1 (866) 371-3200.