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Black History Is Homecare History
Eyecare Benefits for Care Providers
Important changes to the Ameritas Vision benefit structure
Eligible homecare and personal support workers can now access the VSP Choice Network to help pay for annual eye exams, glasses, and more! This change means fewer upfront expenses and no waiting for reimbursement for most services when you go to a vision provider in the VSP Choice Network. NOTE: Not all providers and retailers are in the VSP Choice Network. Visit vsp.com/eye-doctor to find a provider in your area. Visit orhomecaretrust.org/benefits to learn more or call Ameritas at 1-800-255-4931.
Why Choose To Be A SEIU Member? The Union Difference!
Better wages and benefits? Check. Save thousands on healthcare premiums? Check. A contract, union stewards and organizers who make sure you get treated fairly at work? Check. Member-only advantages like free college courses, up to $20,000 in life insurance, and discounts on everything from travel to legal advice? Check. Sound good? Join the union! All of this possible because people like you choose to be a member in union. Click here to join.
Are you ready for ‘the big one’? Or the next forest fire?
Emergency Preparedness
Oregon Emergency Management is now cautioning people that 3 weeks of being without main services may be what we are in store for in the event of a disaster. As caregivers, we not only have to be able to function in our own homes, but we also may have a role in preparing our consumers. READ MORE
Calendar of Events:
There’s always something fun and informative going on in our union! Depending on the time of year, you can learn how to become a union steward or attend other various trainings, sign up for rallies and legislative lobby days, or find out about monthly meetings with other care providers in your area. Click here to check out our full calendar of trainings, meetings, and events.
HOMECARE MIX ‘n MINGLE: Tuesday, February 25, 2020, Portland. Our union is collaborating with the Real Choice Initiative to invite you to the second of three Care Mix and Mingle events in Portland. The Mix & Mingle is a casual way for you as a certified Homecare worker to meet people receiving services through Aging and People with Disabilities (APD), make connections, and see if working together is a good match and could lead to employment. Click here for more information and to register.
TRAINING FOR ACTIVISTS & NEW STEWARDS: Contract Enforcement Training. Learn the basics of what you’ll need to know to be an effective Steward in your workplace. This training is designed for new stewards and activists to cover topics such as: Organizing Your Worksite, Contract Interpretation, Writing Grievances, Meeting with Management, Utilizing the Member Resource Center and Grievance Database. Two dates and locations to choose from:
Saturday, February 29 – Lincoln City.
9 am to 4 pm (Lunch is provided!) Register online.
Saturday, March 14 – Salem.
9 am to 4 pm (Lunch is provided!) Register online.
PLUS THESE OTHER TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES:
For information regarding free training classes for care providers, check out the following links:
- Oregon Home Care Commission
The Oregon Home Care Commission offers both in-person and online classes for personal support workers and homecare workers.
- Oregon Care Partners Homecare and Personal Support Workers are welcome and encouraged to attend but do not qualify for CEU’s in OCP classes.
Greetings, ‘Dignity’ Readers!
Thank you for taking the time to read our Dignity newsletter and inform yourself about what’s going on in our Union! Feedback, article ideas, news or event information are all welcome at HCommsimprovement@SEIU503.org
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Care Provider Spotlight: Annie Smith, Homecare
Before her passing on October 20, 2018, Annie Smith lived a life of activism and was an incredible leader in our union for many years. Boycotting, picketing and standing up for her rights while picking cotton with her grandmother in Mississippi were some of Annie Smith’s earliest and most poignant childhood memories. Accustomed to civil disobedience, Annie wasn’t sure SEIU 503 was militant enough for her at first, but she came to realize soon enough that we stand up for one another, shoulder-to-shoulder; ready to do whatever it takes. READ MORE
Read it on your paystubs
Our SEIU 503 Homecare/Personal Support bargaining team negotiated into our new contract the monthly option to include a message from our union on each paystub. Please be sure to check out your paystubs each time for important information!
Feedback, Article Ideas?
Thank you for taking the time to read our Dignity newsletter and inform yourself about what’s going on in our Union! Feedback, article ideas, news or event information are all welcome at HCommsimprovement@SEIU503.org
Spring FORWARD!
It’s that time again. Daylight Savings Time will begin at 2am on Sunday, March 8. Don’t forget to set your clocks forward and change the batteries in your smoke detectors!