August 19 bargaining session moves homecare and personal support workers closer to a new contract.
Since we began negotiations back in April our message to the state has been clear: we are not interested in just protecting what we have won over the last two decades, we need more. We are excited to report that we made significant progress toward that goal in Monday’s negotiations. Some of the key highlights are below.
First step in a meaningful retirement plan
As of August 5th, the State had yet to respond to our proposal about workers having access to the Oregon Saves retirement plan. So last week we put out an action alert asking homecare and personal support workers to share stories about why we need a pathway to a meaningful retirement. Close to 1,200 of us contacted DHS in less than a week! And it’s clear that our actions made a difference – the State has agreed to implement the Oregon Saves program next July! Additionally, we have been pushing for a larger wage increase so that homecare and personal support workers can fund participation in the Oregon Saves retirement program. At Monday’s session the State made significant movement in our direction by proposing a $.75/hr wage increase on July 1, 2020!
Wages
We have offered a proposal to raise the base rate to $15 per hour with an improved Professional Development Certification process and stronger protections for workers who get paid late. Management will respond to this proposal on September 3.
Development of a new Referral Tool
It’s clear that the current OHCC Registry is failing to meet the needs of both workers and consumers. So we proposed that the State invest in the development of a new registry tool – one that would be administered by a Labor Management Trust so that workers have a direct say in what gets created. We are excited to share that the State has agreed with this approach. We know it will take time to develop a new robust registry, but we are finally on the pathway to make that happen!
Worker’s Rights and Protections
We reached agreement on a new article called “Workers Rights and Protections.” This is a ground-breaking moment. We will have the first homecare contract in the nation to cover these rights for workers. Highlights of the agreement include:
1. Language regarding a worker’s right to a safe and healthy work environment and processes for how an unsafe situation will be handled. Workers will participate in a workgroup with the State in 2020 to determine:
- A consistent statewide process for HCWs/PSWs to report an unsafe work environment
- How to inform potential providers about past health and safety issues with a specific Consumer or a Consumer’s household
- A process for how complaints will be investigated and tracked.
2. A process for how workers can request ADA accommodations.
3. Improved provider number termination rights including timely notice of any issues that could lead to loss of provider number and that workers will be notified of their right to union representation as soon as an investigation has been initiated.
Implementation of Electronic Visit Verification (EVV)
As reported in July we reached agreement on the implementation of the EVV system for DD Personal Support Workers, including clear criteria for exceptions, clarity about what data will be collected and how it will be used, and language protecting our right to bargain over any future Federal rule changes related to EVV.
Our remaining priority related to EVV was making sure we protected our right to bargain over the implementation of the EVV for homecare workers if the system is rolled-out during the course of this contract. At Monday’s session the State agreed to this concept through a Letter of Agreement.
Our next bargaining session is September 3rd. Stay tuned for more information over the coming weeks!