Maryland – Home Care Providers Vote for AFSCME

Baltimore, Maryland

More than 4,000 home care providers throughout the state, who work in the homes of seniors and others with disabilities, have joined AFSCME following an overwhelming vote this February.

They join 80,000 other home care providers in public and private facilities nationwide who have chosen AFSCME.

Audra Feldman, a Baltimore provider who has been working for years to build a union with AFSCME, says, “There's a real excitement among us providers. We feel like we're on the move. We fought for this, it's ours, and it's an opening to a better future.”

The providers' achievement—four years in the making—follows an Executive Order signed last August by Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) that gave them the power to join a union and bargain collectively with the state over their Medicaid-funded program. Key issues include reimbursement rates, payment schedules and benefits.

Now, with the leverage that comes from unity, they are ready to stand up and demand respect.

Strength With AFSCME — Maryland home care providers recently voted to organize a union with AFSCME. Photo Credit: Joe Lawrence