Consumers Weep CWC Enacted

[NEPACIL]

With the swipes of a pen, consumers lost big time yesterday, as the
Consumer Workforce Council was signed by Executive Order. So much for
putting this to a vote or having any common sense.

Read the press release below.

"Currently, Pennsylvania faces an acute shortage of direct caregivers,
a shortage estimated at about 10,000 workers. As a result, consumers
who directly hire their own caregivers are not always able to
dependably recruit and retain workers who are right for them.
Attendants in Pennsylvania are paid an average of $9.10 an hour, and
they usually receive no health insurance, sick days, vacation or
retirement through their jobs. As a result, turnover rates can be as
high as 100 percent and there is no backup system to help people when
their caregiver calls off or quits.

Executive Order 2010-04 helps address the long-term care needs of
seniors and people with disabilities who prefer to use the consumer-
employer home care model, and the direct care workers who assist them
with independent living. The consumer-employer home care model allows
individuals to hire, manage, schedule, train and terminate the home
care provider of their choice.

"Pennsylvanian's deserve the right to choose the way they receive home
care and we have a responsibility to ensure access to high-quality
services enabling them to live independently for as long as they
wish," Governor Rendell said. "This executive order protects the
rights and well-being of consumers by implementing policies to ensure
an available, high quality workforce."

The order creates the Consumer Workforce Council comprised of seniors
and people with disabilities who employ their own attendants to serve
as the policy voice to make recommendations to expand the consumer-
directed model of home care – especially in regards to the number of
available, qualified and reliable home care attendants. It also
guarantees the rights of employees to elect a union representative
should they so choose. The executive order enables caregivers and
consumers to work together to tackle the chronic workforce issues such
as turnover, training and benefits in order to help stabilize the
consumer-employer home care workforce.

Both orders take effect immediately."

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/governor-rendell-signs-executive-orders-to-improve-agriculture-and-healthcare-102994854.html