I-1029 Factchecker

I-1029 Facts: No Connection Between I-1029 and Union Organizing

Opponents charge that I-1029 is designed to help unionize other long-term care workers. This is a completely false and unsupported claim. Here are the facts:

• Nothing in I-1029 does anything to require or encourage any long-term care workers to join a union. All I-1029 does is establishes a new certification and training standard for long-term care workers and closes a loophole in the criminal background checks laws. These standards apply regardless of union representation.
  
  
• In 2007, the Legislature by overwhelming bipartisan majorities passed HB 2284, which, among other things, required that starting in 2010, the state-paid individual provider home care workers will get their training through a joint labor-management partnership.
  
  
• These workers are all already represented by a union, and have been since 2002.
  
  
• These are the only workers who will be required to get their training thru the Partnership. Other already-union employers may choose to do so, or may use other training vendors.
  
  
• No nonunion employers are required or encouraged, either under existing law or I-1029, to provide training for their workers through the Partnership.
  
  
• The Partnership is a federally regulated Trust that is completely, legally and financially separate from a union.
  
  
• In addition to one member of SEIU Healthcare 775NW, the Partnership has a board of directors of respected local experts, including:
  
  • Eric Liu, respected author and expert on mentorship
  • Nancy Dapper, Director, Alzheimers Association of Western and Central WA
  • Dr. Marty Levine, Chief Medical Officer, Group Health Burien
  • Gerald Pumphry, President, South Puget Sound Community College
  • Stella Ogiale, CEO, Chesterfield Health Services