On HHS’s Proposed Rule Interfering with Home Care Workers’ Ability to Pay Their Union Dues

Today, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services proposed a rule that would make paying union dues substantially more difficult and costly for home care workers who form a union. Following is a statement from Christine Owens, executive director of the National Employment Law Project:

“This is yet another attempt by the Trump administration to undermine the ability of America’s workers to join together to improve their jobs and the services they provide, and to weaken the public sector unions the workers have formed to represent them.”

“Home care workers, who provide essential supports that allow people with disabilities and seniors to remain independent at home, have joined together in unions to improve wages, working conditions, and the home care system.

“With this proposed regulation, the Trump administration is deliberately interfering with the ability of workers to elect an efficient and effective way to pay their union dues, imposing an added burden on them with respect to how they support the representation they have elected to receive.

“Cutting off payroll deductions puts home care workers—a majority of whom are women and people of color—at risk of losing valuable member benefits that they have worked hard to secure. There is no evidence that workers or care recipients asked for this change.