Franson proposes bill to block union efforts

• Article by: BAIRD HELGESON , Star Tribune
• Updated: December 20, 2012 – 11:33 AM

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Rep. Mary Franson

Photo: Stubbe, Glen, Star Tribune

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State Rep. Mary Franson is trying to head off new unionization efforts with a proposal to block groups from forcing independent contractors to join a union.

The Alexandria Republican said DFL Gov. Mark Dayton wants to allow labor leaders to unionize home child-care providers and in-home health assistants as payback for political support.

“Dayton is helping his union allies at the expense of family care providers,” Franson said. “His efforts are nothing but a raw political and financial power grab, and I won’t stand for it.”

The governor does not believe anybody should be forced to unionize, a spokeswoman said.

“Governor Dayton believes it is the right of individuals to vote on whether or not to form a union; holding an election is the American way of resolving differences in a group,” said Katharine Tinucci, a Dayton spokeswoman.

Dayton signed an executive order last year calling for a unionization vote for state-subsidized home child-care providers, which a judge threw out after union opponents filed a lawsuit.

Tinucci noted that even if child-care workers had voted to form a union, no individual would have been forced to join.

Franson’s proposal is not likely to get far in the Legislature. Starting in January, Democrats take over control the House and Senate and are not expected to embrace proposals to limit unions. It’s also not clear whether Franson’s proposal has broader support among GOP members.

Baird Helgeson • 651-925-5044

Posted at 2:27 PM on December 12, 2012 by Tim Pugmire
Filed under: MN Legislature, State Government

Workers who provide home care to the elderly and disabled say they want to form a union, but they’ll need legislation passed to allow them to organize.

Dozens of state-subsidized personal care assistants announced their effort today at an event in St. Paul. They were joined by officials from the Service Employees International Union. Karen Urman of Mounds View, who cares for her adult son, said the profession needs a strong voice at the state Capitol.

“As home care workers, we deserve to be heard,” Urman said. “We deserve to be respected as workers, and our work deserves to be recognized as real work. Most importantly, we deserve the same right as all other workers to form a union.”

Organizers said they have not yet talked to any legislators about a bill. SEIU was involved last year in the failed unionization effort among state-subsidized child care providers. Gov. Mark Dayton tried to authorize that vote via executive order, but a judge blocked the effort in response to a lawsuit from union opponents.

Jamie Gulley, president of SEIU Health Care Minnesota, stressed that this a very different campaign.

“There is no reluctance within SEIU,” Gulley said. “This has been done in other states. We’re very, very confident.”

Ziggy Norberg speaks at Wednesday’s press conference

A group of personal care attendants want state law changed so that they can seek union representation. Dozens of home health care workers and the clients that they take care of announced the drive during a press conference at Dunning Recreation Center in St. Paul on Wednesday. They are working with the Service Employees International Union on a campaign that could affect roughly 15,000 to 20,000 workers.

“Being a home care worker is probably the hardest job I’ve ever had,” said Karen Urman, who is the primary care attendant for her 18-year-old son, Ziggy Norberg. He was born with spina bifida, a developmental disorder that affects the spinal cord and confines him to a wheelchair. “We deserve the same rights as all other workers to form a union.”

There are two ways in which personal care attendants are employed. They either work for a social service agency that connects them with clients, or they’re hired directly by the person requiring care. The former already have the right to unionize, but the latter do not. Both groups of workers are paid entirely through state Medicaid funds.

The organizing drive is similar to efforts in recent years to unionize day care providers in that neither group works directly for the state. Gov. Mark Dayton issued an executive order in November of last year calling for an election to determine whether more than 4,000 day care providers wanted union representation. But opponents of the plan sued in federal court and a judge ultimately ruled that Dayton had exceeded his executive authority in ordering the election.

There is a significant difference, however, with personal care attendants: their wages are set directly by the state. In the case of child care workers, they merely receive state subsidies for taking care of poor kids.

As part of the deal that resolved the state budget shutdown in 2011, personal care attendants saw their salaries cut by 1 percent. In addition, individuals who care for their relatives saw their pay cut by an additional 20 percent. Both changes were slated to go into effect in July, but implementation on the cut for relative provider care was delayed by one year.

Perhaps not coincidentally, the organizing drive comes after labor-friendly Democrats took over  control of the Legislature. “We’re definitely happy about the election results, but regardless we need a voice,” Urman said.

Read more: http://politicsinminnesota.com/2012/12/home-care-workers-seek-state-law-change-to-allow-unionization/#ixzz2ExfHmiJI