The state of Michigan is on track to allow for the unionization of home health care workers, including caregivers aiding ill and infirm family members, starting next year in a move that critics say would hurt caregivers.
The Democrat-controlled Michigan Legislature passed legislation that was signed by Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to grant collective bargaining rights to home health care workers. The law, which takes effect at the end of March 2025, would allow the Services Employees International Union (SEIU) to skim dues from funding provided to caregivers under the state’s Home Help program.
Under the law, the roughly 35,000 caregivers in the state of Michigan would be required to attend a training session that would involve the union pitching them on membership. Though the caregivers aren’t required to join the union, they may not be informed of their right to opt out in the course of that training session, which is required as a condition of receiving funds from the Home Help program.
“Here’s the little …