SEIU 503 Homecare & Personal Support Worker Bargaining Survey October 2020

2020 Bargaining Survey

2020 has been a challenging year for all of us - a pandemic, continued violence against Black and brown people in our country, an economic recession leading to record unemployment, and now wildfires like we haven’t seen in recent history have ravaged much of the state. Through all of these struggles, homecare and personal support workers have been in every corner of our state caring for their consumers and assuring the health and safety of the most vulnerable members of our communities.

In short, We Are Essential.

We head into bargaining in a much different financial reality than we did two years ago. Instead of record revenue and a plan to raise taxes on corporations we’re looking at a record budget shortfall. Our work during bargaining will be critical in order to win a fair contract that defends our pay and benefits that we have fought so hard for and includes improvements on key issues that improve working conditions and get recognition for the essential work we do every day. In times like these, we need to look to key non-economic issues as well as economic issues we can win on.

To do this we must:

1) Win in November. In order to win at the state level we must see federal funding for states, meaningful federal support requires having a president that will stand with workers and prioritize resources for states and electing a majority pro-working family Senate and House.

2) Lobby the legislature to use those federal funds to prevent cuts and invest in key services, and to pass additional revenue as necessary to protect the critical services our members provide.

3) Engage our membership across the state to put pressure on decision-makers to win a strong contract that addresses the issues our members care most about. This means building our membership base, engaging member leaders in the campaign, and building a strong field campaign to create pressure on decision-makers.

The goal of this survey is to get quantifiable data on issues and priorities. Filling out this survey is the first step of this campaign, together we will show the State we are all essential.

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HIDDEN IDENTIFYING TEXT FOR EACH SURVEY (e.g., "Homecare Generic" or "State September")

Wages and Benefits

During the last bargaining cycle we were able to pass historical revenue reform that led to a starting wage now above $15 dollars an hour. Nearly two years later it's hard to believe how different things look. While Oregon has been able to weather this recession better than many states because of the revenue reform we helped pass, our state is still in a dire financial situation. We’re reeling from a worldwide pandemic, record unemployment, and now a devastating wildfire season. Without federal funding for states we will likely be looking at massive cuts proposals from the state, and with federal funding we need to be prepared to fight to protect programs, wages and benefits by being clear about our priorities.

Given that context, please answer the following questions relating to wages and benefits:

What are your top economic priorities for our next contract? Please rank the following from 1 to 10, with #1 being the highest priority and #10 being the lowest priority

	#1 priority	#2 priority	#3 priority	#4 priority	#5 priority	#6 priority	#7 priority	#8 priority	#9 priority	#10 priority
Increasing Wages
Protecting our consumer's hours & services from cuts
Protecting access to our health insurance and dental/vision coverage
Increasing our paid time off benefit
Holiday pay for working on a holiday
COVID or other disaster protections, including PPE and hazard pay for doing essential work during the pandemic
Increase travel time and mileage rates
Being paid on time every time
Professional training and career pathways including improving access to the Professional Development Certificate pay differential
Other (please specify)

Safety in the Workplace: Safety on the job is an important issue to workers across Oregon. Are you concerned for your own safety in the course of a normal work day?

OccasionallyFrequentlyNot at all

Safety Concerns: Do you have any of these specific concerns regarding workplace safety? Check all that apply:

COVID-19 or other disaster related concerns (PPE, physical distancing, cleaning protocols, etc)Fatigue due to work schedules/overtime/workloadI do not have safety concerns or my safety concerns are being adequately addressedSubjected to racist, sexist, ableist, transphobic, homophobic, or other discriminatory behaviors or harrassmentOther (please specify)

Childcare & Virtual Schooling. Check all that apply:

I do not have children living in my home or childcare is not a concern for meDuring the pandemic, I have had issues finding childcare for my child(ren)I’m struggling with balancing work and supporting my school aged child(ren) in their distance learningI have access to childcare, but it’s unaffordableI have another concern about child care that is not listed here (please specify)

When considering workplace issues around equity, inclusion, and diversity, which of the following are most important to you? Check all that apply.

Improvements to the accessibility of the home care and personal support worker system (accessibility issues with forms, website, etc.) Internet/Broadband accessLanguage accessResources and support systems for workers experiencing racist, sexist, ableist, or other oppressive behavior or harassment Anti-racist and/or equity & inclusion training for caregiversOther (please specify)

In your work as a homecare or personal support worker, have you ever had to work hours for your consumer that were unpaid?

YesNo

If you answered yes to the above question, how many unpaid hours do you work per week for your consumer?

What of the following are most challenging for you to navigate? Choose up to three.

The hiring processThe Professional Development Certificate ProcessPay processThe registry and being able to find work when I need toFinding clear consistent answers to general Human Resources issuesBeing able to contact my case manager when I need toOther (please specify)

Are there any other issues or suggestions you would like to communicate to the bargaining team?

How will you help us to support this bargaining campaign?

Attend regional or tele town hall meetings to learn the latest developmentsWear a union shirt/button/sticker or put a union poster in my homeVote for pro-worker candidates in NovemberLobby Congress/Legislature for adequate funding for servicesAttend actions in my community (if safe to do so)Attend a statewide action in Salem (if safe to do so)Be a member of the organizing committee, engaging other caregivers and building our union communityAsk non-members to join our unionShare my story

0 – 3 years	4 – 7 years	8 – 12 years
13 – 19 years	20+ years

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