ISSUES
What's New?
The webinar schedule for April-June is available now in our Events page.
Notes from the frontlines
A series of occasional papers produced by the Direct Care Alliance (DCA), Notes from the frontlines explores issues of concern to direct-care worker associations and coalitions, and all those interested in improving the quality and stability of the direct-care workforce in the United States.
Issue 1
Issue 2
Issue 3
Issue 4
Issue 5
DCA Is Seeks to Expand State Activity
Criteria for Determining State Priorities
The Direct Care Alliance (DCA) is currently seeking letters of interest from direct care worker organizations and coalitions to be considered for assistance in 2008-09. Currently the DCA has established Maine, Wisconsin and Arizona as priority states for technical assistance and other resources. We wish to add at least 3 more states for focused assistance in areas such as sustainability, membership development, organizational development, leadership development, and other areas.
The DCA Staff and Board wish to be transparent about our intentions and criteria for selecting states and organizations to prioritize our commitment of resources. Because of the generous support of the Atlantic Philanthropies and other funders the DCA is currently looking to identify states and organizations that best fit the following criteria:
•
Demonstrated capacity to build a state based “constituency-based
advocacy” effort that is sustainable.
• Demonstrated capacity to build and sustain a direct care worker
association, work in multi-stakeholder coalitions.
• Demonstrated ability to engage stakeholders in worker leadership
training, state and national advocacy campaigns and other DCA sponsored
events and activities.
• Stakeholder groups currently exist or may be formed that include
all workforce segments, empowered direct care workers, consumers, labor
and employers.
• DCA involvement will be likely to produce policy solutions that
make a difference and have an impact on the Quality Jobs Through Quality
Care movement.
• There is a readiness and opportunity for reform in the state and/or
local public policy arena to expand Medicaid and/or develop other funding
mechanisms to improve worker wages, benefits, and training enhancements.
• A policy commitment to consumer direction with consideration for
the workforce is evident.
• Commitment to the DCA philosophy of worker empowerment and multi-stakeholder
model for coalition based advocacy.
• Capacity and demonstrated willingness to assist with the development
and sustainability of the DCA.
• DCA support will leverage additional resources.
Representatives of worker associations and coalitions who attended the DCA’s Convention this summer in Iowa will be sent a letter and questionnaire asking for an indication of their interest and qualifications. This information will be compiled and enhanced by staff and Board members in order to make recommendations to the entire DCA Board of Directors in April.
1st Annual National Leadership Training: Apply Now!
The Voices Institute is now recruiting the first class of direct care workers to attend a 5 day intensive training scheduled for May 18th to 23rd near Milwaukee Wisconsin. All travel, meal and lodging expenses, plus an $80/day stipend will be paid for qualified attendees. The goal is to develop effective and powerful public leaders in states around the country.
Worker associations and coalitions are now being asked to nominate leaders to take part in this unique and exciting venture.
The Leadership Training will include:
• A pre-training assessment/orientation that will be conducted by telephone conference and on-line;
• The 5 day in person sessions based on empowerment, skills and experience building exercise;
• A Follow-up ongoing coaching and mentoring program;
• Outreach and recruitment of others to join and expand this effort.
Click here for the invitation
letter (PDF 63.4 kB) and here for the application
form (DOC 78.0 kB).
Laws of Care
The Supreme Court and Aides to Elderly People
Eileen
Boris and Jennifer Klein
THERE'S NO PLACE like home"-unless you're one of the 1.4 million home aides who assist elderly and disabled people but whom the Supreme Court last June abandoned to the feudal manors of the past. In Long Island Care at Home v. Evelyn Coke, the justices unanimously determined that the Department of Labor had the authority to place providers of home care outside the labor law. For seventy years, the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) has guaranteed minimum wage and overtime compensation to the nation's workers, but somehow one of the fastest growing occupations of the twenty-first century doesn't deserve the status and protection of formal employment.
To read more, click here (PDF 635 kB)
Respect for Homecare Workers Campaign
The Direct Care Alliance has launched the RESPECT FOR HOMECARE WORKERS CAMPAIGN to win federal legislation to put home care workers on equal footing with all other direct-care workers in long-term care. Without this change consumers will not be able to recruit and retain the workers they need to receive quality services in their own homes. Join us by signing this pledge form and holding meetings in your area to tell people about the importance of this issue.
BACKGROUND: In 2007 the United States Supreme Court, in hearing a case brought by a home care attendant working for an agency in New York named Evelyn Coke, upheld the right of the Department of Labor to interpret the “companionship” exemption to include all direct care workers in the home, even those employed by third party agencies. As a result all direct care workers in the home whether they provide health-related or personal assistance services are defined as “companions” and are denied guaranteed minimum wage and overtime rights.
The Fair Home Health Care Act (S. 2061 & H.R. 3582) has been introduced to address this inequity in our labor laws. For more information about this Legislation go to: http://www.house.gov/apps/list/speech/edlabor_dem/rel102507.html
DCA Board of Directors approves Home Care Worker Resolution
DCA Board of Directors unanimously approved a resolution to launch a campaign to ensure that home care workers receive the basic protections under our nation's Fair and Labor Standards Act. To read more click here.
DCA Conference 2007
Planned Follow-up Meeting Blossoms into National Movement
Empowering Ourselves Conference Highlights
Empowering Ourselves DVD preview
United States Supreme Court Rules That Home Care Workers Are Not Entitled To Protections Of The Fair Labor Standards Act
Read more: Click here (blog)
"Long Island Care at Home & Osborne vs. Evelyn Coke" Fact Sheet: Click here
National Convention of Direct-Care Worker Associations
Empowering Ourselves: Leading the way to quality care through quality jobs
August 15 – 17, 2007, Des Moines, Iowa
Convention Details: Click here (PDF 1.89 mB)
Registration Form: Click here (PDF 48 kB)
Registration Deadline: July 16, 2007
Empowering Direct Care Worker Voices
We are pleased to introduce our small grants program, EMPOWERING DIRECT CARE WORKER VOICES, to directly support building and sustaining direct care worker associations and/or coalitions that bring together direct care workers, disability and aging consumers, and employers. Through the EMPOWERING DIRECT CARE WORKER VOICES we will issue grants of up of to $5,000 per applicant beginning in August, 2007 and ending when funds are exhausted. The application deadline is July 17, 2007. Applications may be submitted by mail or electronically to lvega@directcarealliance.org
Through these $5,000 maximum grants, EMPOWERING DIRECT CARE WORKER VOICES aims to nurture newly forming or already established Direct care worker associations and/or coalitions of workers, consumers, and employers to make direct care worker voices heard in the long term care debate in their communities and states by supporting:
1) organizational development activities,
2) coalition building activities; and
3) sustainability strategies.
Organizations that can apply for EMPOWERING DIRECT CARE WORKER VOICES include:
1) A 501(c)(3) organization or an organization with a fiscal agent that is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization that is willing to administer the grant.
2) An organization of older adults, persons with disabilities, employers of direct care workers, or an organization of direct care workers.
3) An applicant may also be a coalition of workers, employers, and consumers.
Download the program requirements and application guidelines here.
Download the application: Printable (72.1 kB) or Electronic (860 kB)
Evaluation applications: Evaluation Summary Sheet and Applicant Evaluation Worksheet
A Message from the Executive Director
HeartWork Video. PHI's theatre of witness performance, HeartWork, is now available on videotape. The video chronicles the the development and presentation of this original theatre piece performed by women who work as home health aides and certified nurse aides. Through story-telling, music, song, and dance, the six cast members tell the story of their lives, providing a real, honest, moving, and often humorous account of what it means to be a paraprofessional caregiver. Terrific for in-service trainings, caregiver celebrations, and policy discussions. To read more about this video and order, please visit: http://www.PHInational.org/Sections/resources.htm
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