Direct Care Workers Unite!
Attendants are part of our Workforce.
Attendants provide direct care to people with disabilities in their home and during their activities within the community. The work of the attendants is what makes living independently possible for many people. Most of the attendants are employed by the person receiving care who is regarded as the Consumer-Employer. TRIPIL specializes in this Model of service. TRIPIL assists the Consumer-Employer to be a competent employer and handles the payroll responsibilities. Many of the Pennsylvania Medicaid programs will fund the Consumer-Employer Model. TRIPIL also has attendants who are employed by TRIPIL under the Agency Model. This model is usually used as the first step towards the Consumer Model.
TRIPIL has established a Direct Care Workers Center though a contract with the PA Department of Labor and Industry. The Direct Care Workers Center has an user-friendly, regional registry of direct care workers that includes both agency-employed and consumer-employed workers. The registry is used to assist with job matching, job sharing, scheduling and to promote skill training. The registry helps workers increase their incomes by making it easier for them to combine multiple, part-time jobs and to get credit for hours worked in all these jobs for the purpose of qualifying for health insurance.
In 2007, the Attendants of TRIPIL asked SEIU to represent them in collective bargaining for improved wages and a benefit package that would include health insurance. Low funding from Pennsylvania has always prevented any progress for the workforce. TRIPIL will organize consumer employers to advocate with SEIU and the attendants. Together, we will educate the PA elected officials and administration about the value and savings to Pennsylvania tax payers through investment in the direct care workforce in community settings.
