Adult Foster Home Bargaining Update: 7/10/09
We had our first mediated session on Wednesday, July 8th with Mediator Bob Nightingale from the State Employment Relations Board joining us to begin working on a long list of open and unresolved proposals. To date, we have TA’d (reached tentative agreement) on two proposals. Still outstanding are the bulk of our proposals, including modest service fee increases, health care coverage, provider rights, timely payment, portable criminal background checks among others.
Against the backdrop of a seriously injured, but healing, economy and the end of a legislative session that still leaves unanswered questions, we are optimistic about making meaningful gains in advancing the rights of adult foster home providers and improving the quality and continuity of services to AFH residents.
The legislature voted to raise revenue by increasing taxes on large corporations and the wealthiest 1% in our state to meet increasing demand for services amid high unemployment. They also appropriated funds to protect eligibility for residents in AFH homes, which we fought hard for. We anticipate a ballot measure supported by and/or sponsored by the Republican Party in late January asking voters to rescind the legislature’s action. So the question of whether we will have adequate funding to preserve services for our residents remains unanswered until after the January election and makes a pretty dismal scenario at the bargaining table to make meaningful economic progress.
On Wednesday we gave the mediator three counter proposals to present to the State’s bargaining team:
Article 12, Changes to Service Plan and Payments – which would require the state to give providers prior written notice on any changes in the service plan or service payment.
Letter of Agreement – Criminal Background Checks - establishing a workgroup, including AFH providers and other stakeholders to examine changes in the Criminal Background Administrative rules that make them more portable, more efficient and less expensive and conclude the committee’s work by 02-26-2010
Letter of Agreement – RN Delegation - establishing a workgroup, including AFH providers and other stakeholders to address issues with access to nurses to delegate services to residents, with final recommendations due by 01-15, 2010.
We did not receive responses from the State on any of our outstanding proposals, although we saw signs that they were beginning to take the process more seriously, partially, we believe, because we are in mediation.
We have tentative dates for mediation sessions: July 20th, July 24th and August 5th. In the meantime, providers are being asked to complete a survey (attached) which is designed to elicit stories illustrating the issues we are trying to resolve at the table. Please feel free to widely distribute among adult foster home providers and encourage them to weigh in on these issues as well as participating in local meetings happening around the state where members of the bargaining team are available to meet with providers and field questions and gather input.