MIDLAND, MI — Michigan’s chapter of the Service Employees International Union is again targeting home caregivers in a renewed effort to siphon union dues directly from their paychecks. The union is trying to bring back the dues skim after Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed a bill last year that reclassifies home caregivers — typically family members caring for disabled or ill loved ones — as public employees, opening the door to unionization.

Under the dues skim, a portion of the payment a caregiver gets from the federal Medicaid program is automatically diverted to the union. These funds — which are meant to support care for vulnerable people — can then be funneled into union lobbying and political campaigns, often without caregivers’ awareness or consent.

The Service Employees International Union is currently collecting signatures in its effort to force union representation on people who take care of disabled Michiganders. But because subsidies for home caregivers are decided legislatively, the union can't even make good on the promise of negotiating better contracts for workers.

“The SEIU is making promises it can’t keep,” said Steve Delie, director of labor policy at the Mackinac Center. “This scheme strips caregivers of their voices and drains the funds that families need to care for their loved ones. It offers its members no real benefits. Home health care providers don’t need a union — state and federal laws already govern the public subsidies they receive for their work.”

Between 2005 and 2012, the SEIU skimmed an estimated $34 million from Michigan caregivers before the Snyder administration ended the scheme. Voters rejected a follow-up ballot proposal by a vote of 56% to 44% in 2012, though unions had spent nearly $17 million trying to impose a constitutional amendment. The SEIU was later subject to a then-record fine of nearly $200,000 for illegally concealing its role in that failed campaign.

Despite public opposition, Whitmer and Michigan Democrats have now revived policies that benefit unions at the expense of Michigan’s most vulnerable workers.

Home caregivers should be aware of key concerns before signing support for the SEIU:

• Paycheck Cuts: Union dues slash caregivers’ take-home pay before their checks even arrive.

• No Bargaining Power: Unions cannot negotiate or directly influence wages, hours, or employment terms for home healthcare workers, because stipends are set by state law.

• Forced Orientation Sessions: The law requires home care providers to attend orientation sessions, where the union will get access to caregivers’ private information that it can then use to push for membership and dues.

• Political Contributions: A portion of membership dues may fund the Service Employees International Union’s political action committee (PAC), potentially channeling caregivers’ money toward political causes they don’t support.

Even if the SEIU’s stealth effort to organize caregivers succeeds, people taking care of the disabled have the legal right to withdraw support for unions under the U.S. Supreme Court decision Janus v. AFSCME. A sample withdrawal letter is available for those who wish to opt out of union representation and dues.