Among the five statewide amendments or propositions Missourians will vote on November 4th is Proposition B – the Missouri Quality Home Care Initiative. It would create the Quality Home Care Council that would be tasked with making sure there is a stable, consistent work force of home caregivers to meet the growing demand for in-home care.

On the surface, this might seem to be an issue that is not controversial, but the Missouri Chamber of Commerce doesn’t see it that way. The Chamber believes approval of the initiative would be a back door way of allowing for greater union organizing.

The Chamber’s Vice President of Governmental Affairs, Trey Davis says this drops the threshhold from 30 percent to 10 percent interest among employees to call an election to unionize. He says SEIU – the Service Employees International Union – is one of the major backers of this initiative because it stands to benefit.

Krissi Jimroglou, Communications Coordinator for Missourians for Quality Home Care, says the threshhold is lowered because the 30 percent interest rule was created at a time when workers worked side by side and knew each other. She says workers in the home care industry rarely see each other and don’t have the chance to discuss work issues.

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