OPINION:
Two hundred million dollars. That’s how much the Service Employees International Union plans to spend in battleground states to elect Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. And in one of those battleground states, the union, known as the SEIU, plans to refill its coffers by effectively stealing money from families who care for loved ones with disabilities.
In Michigan, that’s the reality of two bills that will soon be signed into law by Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Fittingly, the bills, which could push the state’s 30,000-plus home health workers into the SEIU, were filed the same day the union initially announced its plan to spend so heavily in support of Democrats’ campaigns. As soon as the bills become law, home health workers may have to pay annual dues to the union, positioning the SEIU to rake in up to $13 million a year from a single state.
Yet the phrase “home health workers” doesn’t accurately describe who is really affected. In Michigan, about 85% are mothers and fathers helping their disabled adult children, sons or daughters caring for ailing parents and other family members meeting the needs of their loved ones. In other words, they’re caregivers, not typical employees.
Logically, that ought to prevent them from being unionized — not to mention that their disabled family member is legally their employer. But the SEIU and its allied lawmakers have created a loophole.
The federal government helps cover these caregivers’ expenses by providing states with a block grant, which states then use to set benefit levels. The SEIU-backed laws would create a de facto shell corporation that sits between the state government and the home health workers. Under these laws, caregivers would then be classified as public employees.
None of this reflects reality. No one is going to picket in their driveway against a family member. And receiving money from the state or federal government doesn’t make the caregiver a government employee. That’s like saying that someone who gets food stamps works for the state. Home health workers’ stipends are part of the safety net and shouldn’t be a revenue source for labor unions.
These families need every cent to care for their loved ones’ medical needs. Many provide care 24 hours a day, seven days a week, leaving no time to earn income through a job.
The last thing they need is for a labor union to skim money from their meager stipends — usually between 2.5% and 2.75%.
And what will caregivers get in return for joining the union? Nothing. The union can’t collectively bargain with anyone since it has built the system around a legal fiction. The most the union can do is lobby the state Legislature to increase payments.
Yet if that’s what home health workers need, the Legislature could simply introduce a bill to increase appropriation. The SEIU never needed to be involved. Between 2014 and 2024, the Michigan Legislature increased the program’s funding by more than $100 million — no unionization required.
This dues-skimming is nothing more than a political payoff from Michigan Democrats to a union ally. On that note, the legislation subjects every home health worker to mandatory training, which is a front for union recruitment. Unions would have a captive audience for 30 minutes, during which time they could use high-pressure tactics.
The entire system is designed to get the maximum number of people to give the maximum amount of money to the SEIU. As for training, home health workers already know how to care for their loved ones’ individual needs. The SEIU has no unique expertise in services such as feeding, bathing, dressing and grooming.
The blatant abuse of caregivers and their struggling loved ones is obvious for all to see. That’s why Michigan has already repealed this dues-skimming plan once. State Democrats created the same policy in 2005, and Republicans repealed it in 2012.
When the SEIU realized it would lose out on the $6 million a year then going to its political war chest, the union put the issue before voters. But the people handily rejected Proposition 4 in a 56%-44% vote. Voters saw the union’s obvious self-interest and utter disregard for vulnerable families.
The only reason dues-skimming is now returning is because Democrats regained control of state government last year. When Michigan enacts this policy, it will join far-left states such as California, Illinois and Washington in stealing money from caregivers to benefit a special interest.
But another public outcry is surely coming. Families with disabled loved ones aren’t a money pot. Their lives are hard enough without having to fight labor bosses or fork over what money they have. For unions, what matters is obtaining more money to spend electing their allies, starting with Kamala Harris and Tim Walz.
• Patrick Wright is vice president of legal affairs at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy.
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