Individual Providers

The State Pushed. We Pushed Back. Keep it up!

IP Bargaining Update #4 (July 16, 2010)

After a few fairly smooth sessions, negotiations took a turn for the worse. The State pushed so we pushed back harder.

Over the last week, our members sent more than 600 messages to Governor Gregoire's office with a powerful and simple message, "Don't cut our health care, don't cut our training, and don't freeze our wages."

She's starting to feel the pressure, so we can't let up.

Click here to let the governor know that we don't want to go back to when caregivers were not treated with dignity and respect.

Our collective bargaining agreement not only covers 33,000 individual providers, but it also effectively covers 6,600 agency workers because of Washington's agency parity law.

If you think we don't have a lot at stake in these negotiations, ask bargaining team member Deborah Moore.

"I have been a caregiver since 1977, and I started out making $1.75 an hour," Moore stated in a fax to the governor. "We didn't have a union then and actually this is the first time in over 30 years of caregiving that I do have a union and am so thankful. We need the training and not just minimum training. It doesn't help us taking the same classes over and over again. We need training to provide for the specific client we take care of."

"As for healthcare, I am so glad I am in good health, because if I had any serious problems, I wouldn't be able to get the medical care that I need - because I don't have healthcare at all."

Deborah doesn't work enough hours to quality for health insurance. If the Governor doesn't offer any money to cover increased healthcare costs, it will put health coverage even farther out of reach for people like Deborah.

If the governor doesn't offer more money for training, our clients will suffer.

The 200 faxes and 400 phone calls last week was enough to get the governor's attention, but it wasn't enough yet to get more respect for caregivers.

Make your message count. The more personal you make your message the better. Talk about your client. Talk about whether or not you have healthcare. Explain to the governor why you are a caregiver. We must get her attention so she understands that we need to be treated with dignity and respect.

Click here to send your fax to the governor today.

Gregoire to Home Care Workers: Pretend it's 1999

IP Bargaining Update #3 (July 8, 2010)

Do you remember when home care workers made $7.00 an hour - no health benefits, almost no training? That’s essentially what Governor Gregoire thinks is appropriate for caregivers who take care of the state’s most vulnerable seniors and people with disabilities.

The Governor is proposing cuts to health care, cuts to training and a freeze on wages.

Tell the Governor to show home care workers some respect. Click here to send her a fax with a very simple message, “We don’t want to go back to1999. Show us some respect!”

Mike Roth, IP Bargaining Team Member Two million people voted for Initiative 1029 so that seniors and people with disabilities would get the quality care they deserve. Without enough money for health benefits and pay freezes for the foreseeable future – home care workers may as well turn back the clock.

Mike Roth, from Seattle, has been a caregiver for 35 years. Before he had health insurance through our union, he cut himself opening a can of food. That cost him $400 in medical expenses. Money he didn’t have...

» Read more

Bargaining Team Stands Up for Fairness

IP Bargaining Update #2 (June 7, 2010)

Earlene Webster, Bargaining Team Member
We sent a strong message to State officials at our second bargaining session last week: Be prepared to talk about the real issues facing home care workers at our next bargaining session.

Not only did the State’s negotiators propose several takeaways compared to our last contract (meaning they propose to “take away” something we already have), but they also ignored most of our initial proposals.

Our Next Negotiating Session is July 6
Over the next several weeks as we prepare for our next negotiating session on July 6 our bargaining team will work to educate home care workers about the State’s proposed takeaways and continue the campaign for I-1098, the high earners’ income tax. While we help fight for revenue to deal with the state’s financial crisis state officials are offering takeaways and t

» Read more

Individual Providers Begin Formal Negotiations with the State of Washington; Real Action Will Take Place Away from Bargaining Table

IP Bargaining Update #1 (May 12, 2010)

IP Bargaining Team 2010
Our campaign to protect home care workers and improve working conditions is underway with more than 30 home care workers* exchanging a first set of proposals with negotiators from the State of Washington last week over our 2011-2013 Collective Bargaining Agreement (sometimes referred to as the Individual Provider Contract)

“We will bargain hard at the table because this contract sets the standard for all home care workers in the state,” said David Rolf, President of our union and chief spokesperson for our Bargaining Team.

“And when we’re not bargaining, we’ll be taking it to the streets – gathering signatures for Initiative 1098,” said Tanika Aden, a home care worker from Sea-Tac.

“Funding for health and long-term care is constantly under attack. The State has had to slash hours of care for clients, failed to fund raises for workers. The problem will only get bigger as more seniors start needing home care and other long-term care services,” Elia Martinez, a home care worker from Moses Lake added.

» Read more

IP Contract Highlights (2009-2011)

“We stopped cuts to wages and benefits, and we did better than other unions. We focused on setting up programs that will pay off when the economy recovers.”

Dawn Forks, IP Bargaining Team (Tacoma)

Health Care
We won more funding that covers the increasing cost of health care. This is a great win – it protects our health benefits and keeps them affordable for the first year of the contract.

Training Fund
Fully funded under the proposed contract. This is a win for the future, as training will professionalize the home care workforce. When the economy improves, a professionalized workforce can demand more money and better benefits.

Retirement
This is another big victory for the future. Under the contract, the state must work with our union over the next two years to begin the work of developing a retirement system.

Need a copy of your State of Washington IP Contract (2009-2011)?

Print a Copy at Home
Click here to download a copy of your contract (It's formatted on 12 pages, black and white on letter-sized paper).

Order Online
If you don't have access to a printer and need a printed version, use our easy online order form.

Questions
If you have any questions, please call our Member Resource Center Toll-Free at 1 (866) 371-3200.

2011-2013 Individual Provider Bargaining Team

Tanika Aden (Sea-Tac)

Mary Cabrera (Tacoma)

Bonnie Epps (Walla Walla)

Denese Garcia (Granite Falls)

Suzie Dea Granstrom (Bremerton)

Sadije Haliti (Tacoma)

Chris Hardin (Port Orchard)

Evelyn Hetrick (Port Orchard)

Susan Jaggers (Goldendale)

Linda Lee (Vancouver)

Chong Lee (Tacoma)

David Lindberg (Everett)

Ella Ana Martinez (Moses Lake)

Debbie Moore (Tumwater)

Richmond Nguyen (Seattle)

Larry O’Connor (Vancouver)

Judith Powell (Kennewick)

Sue Rogers (Kent)

Marion (Mike) Roth (Seattle)

Flash Scaff, Jr. (Mountlake Terrace)

Gisela Silva-Badoo (Mukilteo)

Margaret Singh (Lynwood)

Kevin Smith (Vancouver)

Dorothy Smith (Olympia)

Lonnie Stoddard (Longview)

Pita Medina Tongu (Seattle)

Eloise Travess (Spanaway)

Karen Washington (Spokane)

Earlene Webster (Des Moines)