No parent, relative, or friend should be coerced into paying a union just to care for a loved one.
Nevertheless, that has been the reality for in-home caregivers in 11 states: Washington, Oregon, California, Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Vermont, and Rhode Island.
For decades, state governments have worked with unions in these states to divert money away from people in need. Prior to last year, dues skimming was happening to both home healthcare providers—who provide care to elderly, sick, and disabled people, often family members—and childcare providers who look after low-income children from their homes. Because they have been wrongly classified as public employees, caregivers have seen portions of their support checks being taken out union dues before the assistance ever reached them and their loved ones. Dues skimming was costing home healthcare providers an estimated $200 million each year, but the federal government prohibited this practice last year, and unions are currently suing so they can continue this scheme.
In January 2017, SPN tapped the expertise of several state think tanks, asking them for input on a solution that would protect caregivers while returning power to the states. The Freedom Foundation, Center of the American Experiment, Mackinac Center for Public Policy, The Buckeye Institute, Yankee Institute, and the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation weighed in with the same answer: The federal government must end the dues skim. Thanks to their multi-year effort, the Department of Health and Human Services finalized a new rule on May 2, 2019, ending the dues skim of Medicaid support checks for in-home healthcare providers.
To share the stories of these caregivers and the Network coalition fighting on their behalf, Passing Lane Films and SPN have produced a new short documentary: The Big Skim.
This short film (19 minutes) reveals the SEIU’s collusion with the US Government to fill union coffers by robbing family caregivers of Medicaid support intended to compensate them for the time and money spent providing care for the elderly and disabled. The film shares the story of how this fiendish scheme of forced unionism has been exposed by a team of enterprising Network policy experts, attorneys, and parents. Battling the dual leviathan of Big Government and Big Unions, these heroes help stop the theft and dismantle corrupt Obama-era legislation.
The Big Skim is now being featured at the Anthem Virtual Film Festival in the Short Documentary category. Help raise awareness of this film and this important issue by attending the festival and voting for The Big Skim and other liberty-advancing films. Use code SPN25 for 25% off the ticket price.
Your vote helps determine the winner of the Audience Choice Award.
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Home healthcare providers have escaped this scheme, but small business owners who provide childcare out of their homes, often to children from low-income families, are still being victimized and losing tens of millions of dollars each year to unions.
While this practice has always been wrong and undermines federal and state programs for America’s most in-need populations, childcare providers are needed now more than ever to provide crucial relief to families struggling from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
These essential workers, many of whom are now providing safe places for children to learn virtually, should not need to worry that a far-off organization they never interact with is taking a cut of their support check. And, Americans should have the peace of mind knowing that their tax dollars are going to help those in need, not line the pockets of multi-billion dollar organizations like unions.
