Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Hearing Dates are Set

LD 1687, An Act to Increase Health Insurance Coverage for Front-Line Direct Care Workers Providing Long-Term Care is up for public hearing before the Insurance and Financial Services Committee on Tuesday, February 5 at 1 pm. Come and show your support for this important issue facing Direct Care Workers. The hearing about the proposed cuts to the Homemaker Program is before the Appropriations Committee on Thursday, February 7. This is an all day hearing. Please come and show your support for our elders, some of Maine's "most vulnerable citizens." For information on the hearings or directions to the committee hearing rooms, please call MSEA Headquarters at 1-800-452-8794 and ask for Steve Butterfield Jr.

Saturday, January 26, 2008

We Need to Make Our Voices Heard

As many of you may know, Alpha One and Home Care for Maine are facing proposed cuts in funding. These cuts will have an affect on the services that consumers receive. At this time, I am not sure what sort of an affect these cuts will have. I think for consumers who need services, their wait will be longer if they manage to get help at all. I do not know how these cuts will affect direct care workers. What I do know is that every member of our State Legislature needs to hear from us direct care workers and from our consumers. They need to hear how these cuts are going to affect the people who need the services we workers provide. They need to hear from Maine's "most vulnerable citizens" as the Governor and DHHS Commissioner say these cuts won't hurt them. I've posted the links to the Maine Senate and the Maine House of Representatives. Use these links to get contact information for your local State Senator and State Representative. I urge 771 members to get involved and contact your local representatives. Also try to get your consumers involved too. If consumers call their local representatives and voice their concern, the legislators will hear them. One of my consumers did just that. The DHHS Committee is holding public hearings on these proposed cuts. The Committee wants to know how these cuts will affect the agencies providing the care, how the cuts will affect consumers who receive these much needed services and how the cuts will affect us direct care workers. One of these very hearings was held Wednesday afternoon (1/23). Molly Baldwin, Home Care for Maine's CEO, presented testimony. A representative from the Long-Term Care Ombudsman as well a representative from an Alzheimer's care group was there. I think Alpha One was also represented. I do not have any dates and times as to when these hearings will be held. As soon I as know, I will post the information. I urge 771 members to put on your purple and pack these hearing rooms. Your presence will show the DHHS Committee how many people these cuts will be affecting; not just consumers, but workers alike.

Upcoming Local 771 Events

MSEA-SEIU is hold it's annual Leadership Conference on Saturday, Feb. 2, 2008 from 9 am to 3 pm at the Augusta Civic Center. If you want to attend, please call Headquarters to register. Local 771 is holding it's first chapter-wide meeting on Saturday, Feb. 9, 2008 at 1 pm at Union Headquarters in Augusta. I hope to see many 771 members there.