Governor Scapegoats Dedicated Homecare Providers

by Doug Moore
Executive Director
United Domestic Workers of America

Doug Moore, executive director, UDW Homecare Providers Union issued the following statement in response to the Governor’s Budget proposals:

It is unfortunate that the governor continues to use thousands of dedicated homecare providers and the people they serve as scapegoats in his effort to slash safety net programs. Contrary to what he claims, there is no real proof of “massive” fraud in the In Home Supportive Services (IHSS) program. Furthermore, it is outrageous to suggest that people making little more than minimum wage should have to pay for their own background checks and fingerprinting when no other government employees are required to do so.

UDW believes that any fraud in IHSS should be eliminated. We have sponsored and endorsed a number of bills to curb fraud and abuse; currently we are sponsoring AB 378 by Assembly Member Paul Cook which would create training standards in the program. Yet despite their talk about curbing fraud, the governor and Republican legislators oppose our bill. Apparently, they’re more interested in scoring political points than in really doing something to improve the program.

Doug Moore is executive director of the 65,000-member UDW Homecare Providers Union, California's only union made up entirely of homecare workers.

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