Michigan’s “forced unionization” is not only taking money away from home health care workers, it’s taking dollars out of the pockets of parents of the afflicted as well.
Meanwhile, campaign records show the lawmakers who seem to be helping keep the “forced unionization” alive received money from the union that benefits from the situation.
Robert Haynes and his wife, Patricia, take care of their cerebral palsy-stricken son and daughter in their Macomb Township home. Taxpayers help out with monthly checks to the Haynes family. The checks, which are sent by the state, allow them to keep their son and daughter at home instead of having them institutionalized.
$30 a Month to Union
But some of the taxpayer dollars that are supposed to go to the Haynes family are being siphoned off. The state takes a $30 monthly deduction from the checks and sends it to the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) under the premise that the payments to the Haynes parents mean they’re employed as health care workers. This deduction is the result of the forced unionization of home health care workers that came about in a deal between unions and politicians in Lansing during the administration of former Gov. Jennifer Granholm (D).
“We’re not even home health care workers. We’re just parents taking care of our kids,” said Robert Haynes, a retired Detroit police officer. “Our daughter is 34, and our son is 30. They have cerebral palsy. They are basically like 6-month-olds in adult bodies. They need to be fed, and they wear diapers. We could sure use that $30 a month that’s being sent to the union.”
Capitol Confidential sent emails to the offices of Sen. Roger Kahn (R-Saginaw Twp.), Gov. Rick Snyder, Senate Majority Leader Randy Richardville (R-Monroe), and House Appropriations Subcommittee on Community Health Chair Matt Lori (R-Constantine). The emails gave a very brief explanation of the Haynes’ situation and asked the governor and the lawmakers if they approved of what is happening.
Of those contacted, only Rep. Lori responded.
No Funding, No End
“Do I approve of this? No,” he wrote in an email. “I had believed that the [community health budget] bill passed that defunded it would end it.”
In this year’s budget, the Legislature ended all funding to the Michigan Quality Community Care Council, which posed as the employer of the home health care workers.
Two separate forced unionizations took place on Granholm’s watch. Both involved the creation of dummy employers and statewide union elections that were kept secret from the news media.
It was believed the “forced unionization” would end when Granholm left office. However, in spite of efforts by the state Legislature to put an end to them, the deductions haven’t stopped.
Ties to Former Governor
Emails show Sen. Kahn, chairman of the Michigan Senate Appropriations Committee, worked behind the scenes to keep the forced unionization of home health care workers intact, which, in turn, keeps the deductions flowing. Those emails were obtained by the Mackinac Center for Public Policy through a Freedom of Information Act request.
According to campaign finance reports filed with the Michigan Secretary of State, Sen. Kahn received $2,500 from the SEIU in 2010.
Katz was Granholm’s first campaign manager. His wife, Jill Alper, was a chief campaign strategist for Gov. Granholm in 2002 and 2006.
Nothing from Union
Haynes says his family is receiving no benefits whatsoever from their alleged membership in the SEIU. The only impact it’s having on them is the monthly loss of money through the dues deductions.
“Nothing,” Haynes said. “We’re not getting anything from them. We’ve tried to contact them, and they don’t even bother to respond. I don’t even know what they could do to help. Considering the dues money we’re sending them, maybe they should come over and babysit our kids so we could have a night out.
“We take care of our kids at home,” Haynes continued. “There aren’t any working condition issues. There are no raises to negotiate. There aren’t any union issues involved. But the money keeps being taken out of our checks anyway.”
Jack Spencer ([email protected]) is capitol affairs specialist for Michigan Capital Confidential, a news service of the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, where an earlier version of this article appeared. Used with permission.
