For Immediate Release
Tuesday, February 01, 2005
Home Care Workers Protest Late Pay
Caregivers of Iowa's elderly and disabled put at risk themselves for credit problems, utility shut-offs, and financial and emotional strain.
Today, home care workers, those who care for some of Iowa's most vulnerable citizens, picketed outside the State DHS office to protest the consistently late paychecks. Late pay has put many of these caregivers at risk themselves, causing credit problems, utility shut-offs, and financial and emotional strain. Home care workers, joined by their consumers, demanded interim paychecks and for DHS to address problems with the contractor responsible for routinely late pay.
Elizabeth Walker of Des Moines recently was forced to pay a $300 re-connect fee for her home and cell phones after the phone company turned them off. "The late paycheck has made it impossible for me to catch up," Walker said.
Home care providers, also known as Consumer Directed Attendant Care workers, report that late pay routinely has been a problems for workers all across the state. When workers have contacted ACS/Consultech, the company hired by DHS to handle some of the CDAC program, to report problems, they have consistently been ignored. "When we calls about our paychecks being late, they treat us as if we had committed a crime," said CDAC worker Josie Thomas who cares for her sister. "They told me that I shouldn't consider the money I get as my main pay."
Ongoing problems with the pay system include lack of notification to workers for missing information on the forms they submit to receive the pay. Workers learn about a problem with their paperwork only when their paycheck does not show up in the mail.
Workers are asking for DHS provide interim paychecks for the pay that is still outstanding and that DHS address the systemic problems with ACS/Consultech. Workers are demanding timely notification when thee is a problem with their paperwork—and the opportunity to fix the problem—so that their pay is not delayed.
Carol Heyland, a consumer, said, "It makes me very upset when I see that my caregiver's valuable work is not recognized. It makes me even sadder when I realize that her paychecks are never on time. It shows that they don't respect the program."
"It's imperative for the state to care for those who care. Home care workers allow the elderly and those with disabilities to live safely and with dignity at home. CDAC workers are a good bargain for the state—they save millions of dollars," said Jan Corderman, President of AFSCME Council 61. "It's time for home care workers to get the dignity they deserve—including an adequate and accountable pay system—so they get paid on time, every time."
Home care workers are uniting with AFSCME to address these and other issues, including lack of health insurance, sick leave, training programs and more.
