We have a deal on our new contract! 

After months of negotiation meetings with the state, your bargaining team reached a Tentative Agreement on our 2021-2023 Collective Bargaining Agreement, representing a $15 million investment in the essential work we do and recognition of the respect we deserve. 

Here are the quick highlights:

• COVID 19 Hazard Bonuses of $1000 per resident
• 7.3% Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) increases over the span of the contract, with 5% COVID-19 retroactive pay from July, 2021

This wins are only possible because we stick together in union!

10/11/21 AFH full TA Highlights

1. COVID 19 Hazard Bonus of $1000 for every resident in your home;
2. 5% COVID 19 rate increase retroactive to July, 2021; 
3. 2.3% Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) increase effective April 1, 2022; and an agreement that next time legislatively-allocated funds are available to AFH providers, the state must bargain with us over that money;
4. Protections on provider overpayments;
5. Right to union representation at orientations by subcontractors;
6. Commitment by the state to share the process to sign up for notifications of OAR changes;
7. The state must provide all relevant information to providers before requiring that they must accept a resident in their home;
8. Payment for partial days of service for all AFH licensing types, no longer just applicable to DD providers;
9. Retroactive payment for add-ons and exceptions to the date of their assessment or approval;
10. Clarification on urgent reassessment needs, so providers can expect the reassessment within 21 days of the request;
11. Process for OHA non-medicaid consumer service payments to be paid in a timely way; 
12. Specific Needs Contract amendments will be communicated with the right to demand to bargain over changes;
13. Specific Needs Contracts Joint Workgroup will develop recommendations for improved communication and tools to support providers;
14. The state must train and require all subcontractors, like Comagine, CMHPs and CCOs, to understand and honor our benefits and protections, allowing us to file grievances if subcontractors aren’t following our union contract;
15. RN Delegation will be billed by the rendering RN provider, except for specific needs contracts, and the state shall support providers to access RN delegation services;
16. The state shall support providers in signing up for ORCHARDS, the criminal background check system formerly known as CRIMS; 
17. Made the Labor Management Committee a permanent part of our contract, so we can continue to raise problems that providers are experiencing outside of bargaining; 
18. Clarified exceptional needs process for mental health providers, establishing an hourly 1:1 rate for exceptional needs clients and a commitment from the state to improve LSI scoring; and
19. An agreement to meet soon to negotiate a Letter of Agreement over the impact of the Governor’s vaccine mandate.