As president of New York State's giant health care union, Dennis Rivera often seems untouchable — politicians are reluctant to tangle with him because of his union's electoral might, and hospital leaders shrink from attacking him because they need his lobbying support to obtain more money from Albany.þþBut in an unusual advertising campaign, a little-known company that provides home health aides is pounding Mr. Rivera, accusing him of keeping health care workers in poverty even though he is widely viewed as the state's most successful labor leader in helping low-wage workers.þþThe advertisements, sponsored by Premier Home Health Care Services, are part of the elaborate maneuvering before the union, 1199/S.E.I.U., begins a strike, scheduled for this Wednesday, by 3,000 home health aides. Union leaders say it would be the first walkout in the nation by home health aides.þþPremier's advertisements attack Mr. Rivera over his lobbying campaign last January that persuaded the State Legislature and Gov. George E. Pataki to allocate $1.8 billion for raises for several groups of health care workers, while largely omitting the state's 50,000 home health aides. These workers care for the chronically ill and for people newly released from hospitals. Premier's president, Arthur Schwabe, said his company could not afford the raises and health insurance that 1199 was seeking unless Mr. Rivera persuaded Albany to allocate more money to home health aides. Most Premier workers earn $6 to $7 an hour.þþOne of Premier's television spots asks, ÿIf Dennis Rivera is really a champion of the working poor, why has he left out the majority of these workers?ÿ The advertisement repeatedly calls on Mr. Rivera to share the money. þþAngered by Premier's advertisements, Mr. Rivera said: ÿThis is the most cynical campaign that I've ever seen by an employer. His agency gets reimbursed $12 to $14 an hour, and he pays his workers $5.75 or $6.25, and then he pockets the rest. He lives in a wealthy suburb in Connecticut and owns several luxury cars, and he just doesn't want to share his wealth with his workers.ÿþþMr. Rivera said it was not up to him but rather up to the State Legislature and Mr. Pataki to allocate money for raises for home health workers.þþMr. Schwabe said health agencies reimbursed Premier $11 an hour on average and that he paid his workers $7 an hour on average.þþUnion officials said the strike would last three days, and Mr. Schwabe said Premier has hired 500 replacement workers to care for its clients. He said he was forced to lay off some workers because health agencies were asking other providers to care for Premier's clients. þþEighteen months ago, 3,000 home health aides at Premier voted overwhelmingly to join 1199/S.E.I.U., which has 215,000 members statewide. Union officials voiced frustration that they have been unable to reach a contract with Premier since then. The union's main demands call for lifting Premier's average wage to $7 an hour and providing health insurance, which the union says would cost an additional 79 cents an hour.þþÿThe pay is so low I have to work seven days a week to make ends meet,ÿ said Anne Marie Rosier, who has worked for Premier for five years. ÿThe problem is Premier don't give us any respect — they don't provide health insurance and they don't provide paid vacations or sick days.ÿþþMr. Schwabe said he would like to pay his workers more. ÿWe're ready to sign a deal today,ÿ he said. ÿWe have nothing against 1199. We think they're a real good organization. But there was a billion dollars put into the system for home care workers, and our workers were excluded from that money. If we were included in that funding, we wouldn't be where we are today.ÿ þþIn January, Albany allocated more than $900 million for raises for home care workers, but to just one category — the 70,000 personal care assistants who clean, cook and run errands for clients. þþAlbany has allocated just $50 million for raises for home health aides like those at Premier, who do much of the same work as personal care assistants, but unlike the other group, are qualified to take blood pressure readings and perform other basic health care tasks. þþÿDennis Rivera has talked very publicly about improving the benefits and lifestyle of home care workers,ÿ Mr. Schwabe said. ÿWhat I can't understand is, if he is truly a proponent of that, why doesn't he take that money and spread it around?ÿþþMr. Rivera said 1199 opposed allocating more money to home health companies like Premier because there was no guarantee that the additional money would go to increase wages. He said government rules for companies that supply personal care assistants are different from those for companies that furnish home health aides, setting limits on profits and overhead and ensuring that almost all of the increased money went toward wages. He said several other for-profit home care providers received the same rate of reimbursement as Premier but provided higher wages as well as health insurance.þþÿThere's no guarantee that increased money from the state would go into the pockets of the workers instead of into Mr. Schwabe's pockets,ÿ Mr. Rivera said. þþ
Source: NY Times
