According to the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, the controversial “dues skim” – a practice where union dues are automatically deducted from Medicaid payments to home caregivers – is making an unwelcome comeback for those caregivers who are receiving stipends from the Michigan Department of Health & Human Services.

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This strategy, previously halted in 2012 after siphoning off approximately $34 million from caregivers, is being revived because of Public Act 144 of 2024, new Democrat-passed legislation signed by Governor Gretchen Whitmer in the fall of 2024, that classifies “individual home help caregivers” as public employees – opening the door for unionization.

Caregiver data handed over for recruitment blitz.

The legislation allows the newly established “Home Help Caregiver Council” to obtain a list of caregivers’ names, home addresses, telephone numbers, and personal email addresses, and to use that information to target them.

The SEIU, according to a report from Michigan Capitol Confidential, is using that information to send their people to the homes of caregivers and sending union solicitations through the mail. Their goal? To make the SEIU the sole representative of the state’s community of home care providers.

The SEIU is collecting signatures to unionize home caregivers, many of whom are family members providing essential care to disabled or ill loved ones. The union promises better pay and benefits, but there’s a catch: they lack the authority to negotiate wages or employment terms, as these are set by state law.

Critics like Michigan Capitol Confidential argue that the primary beneficiary of this move is the union itself, which stands to gain millions in dues without offering tangible benefits to the caregivers.

Caregiver speaks out: personal story highlights concerns.

Tammy Martin, a Michigan mother and former nurse who now cares for her severely disabled son, spoke out against the unionization push in an interview with independent journalist Dave Bondy. Drawing from her own family’s experience, Martin recalled how her mother was enrolled into the SEIU without consent when she was a caregiver for her sister years ago. Martin said about her mom, “She never saw any benefits, no pay increase, and couldn’t even get out of the union. They just took money from her check every month.”

Legal loopholes and mandatory meetings: the fine print.

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Under the new law, caregivers are required to attend orientation sessions where union representatives can advocate for membership. While caregivers have the legal right to opt out of union representation, the process is often convoluted and burdensome, leading many to remain in the union by default.