Unions provide a vital lifeline for home health care workers, many of whom put in long hours with few benefits. But union rights for these workers are now coming under attack, writes Michael Hiltzik for the Los Angeles Times.

On July 12, the administration proposed changes to Medicaid regulations, making it more difficult for home workers whose services are paid for through Medicaid to pay their union dues.  

The goal of the rule, much like the Supreme Court’s recent Janus decision, is to starve unions out of existence so they can no longer protect workers.

The United Steelworkers  union strongly condemns the split decision by the U.S. Supreme Court to side with big-money interests and harm the ability of public sector workers to collectively bargain.

Make no mistake, this case was an attack on unions, working people and the causes that the labor movement fights for every day. But no court case will stop unions and their supporters from fighting back against efforts to weaken and divide us.

This assault on workers was financed by conservative, right-wing billionaires and the organizations they support, including the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation, to undermine labor and the quality family-sustaining jobs that have developed over decades of collective bargaining.

On November 13, 2017, we wrote to update you on the steps the USW was taking to challenge the mandatory flu vaccination policy.  The grievance challenging the policy was taken to arbitration at a two-day hearing on March 28 and 29, 2018.  The USW put extensive time and resources into preparing and presenting the case, including hiring outside labor counsel to present the case and bringing in a renowned public health expert from the University of Minnesota.  Unfortunately, we received the Arbitrator’s decision last Friday, July 20, 2018, and Arbitrator George Latimer ruled in favor of Essentia Health.