Bouncing an idea for an action -- looking for suggestions

[Oak2004]

I'm disabled, and a former direct care worker. My aides are about to be screwed out of a day of sick leave because the agency is 800,000.00 in the hole One "little" catch: the CEO of the agency is one of the highest paid in our state. When he was challenged on his pay a while back by a local reporter, who asked him to justify it, he did the usual health care industry sidestep by talking about what wonderful work they do with pitiable people like me (sorry, Mr CEO, but Mother Theresa's habit doesn't fit you very well).

Not that that's out of character for the agency: the are vile to their workers as well as their clients. I've heard through the grapevine that one person is trying to organize them, but that it's a formidable task, because the field workers work in clients' homes scattered across several counties, and almost never see each other.

What I am thinking of doing is organizing a picket by clients in defense of the workers. First, it would draw attention to the actual behavior of Mr. Theresa and his board of beatified directors, and do it with an unexpected twist. Secondly, it may offer the union organizers an opportunity to connect with more field workers (I don't know who they are, and furthermore I am glad the person who told me of them isn't spilling their names casually-- I was union once and know what they're up against, especially since the agency does a pretty good job locally of positioning itself as one of St. Peter's choirs and can get away with illegal crap. The organizers can seize upon the client picket, or not, as they wish, but this action would be independent of anything they may be doing).

First, does a client protest sound helpful? (I especially value input from health care workers on this question) Secondly, should I try to keep it client only, or should I try for a broader protest? Thirdly, I want to keep an element of surprise. I obviously can't organize diddlysquat without the likelihood that one of this area's major employers will get wind of it, but I am wondering if there is a way to work the new media to first organize, then get the word out to protesters and the press at the last minute. Any suggestions on how to do that?

[Hannah Bell]

1. "a picket by clients in defense of the workers." = sounds useful to me.

2. if there are supporters who aren't clients, no reason i can see not to include them.

3. if you have enough contacts, & your contacts have contacts, you can get a jump on organizing it by pure word of mouth/email/phone. if you know at least two other people in your situation/similar situation, or workers, run it by them & see if they like the idea/would support it, divide up the contact work, & have at it.

my two cents.

[Jackpine Radical]

2. That sounds right.

Actually, you as clients might find that you have other reasons for organizing beyond helping the caregivers. You might be able to advocate for yourselves more effectively that way. Are you really all getting the services you need? I guess I'm for people organizing & communicating with each other just on general principles. The more we talk to each other, the less the big shots can get away with.

[tpsbmam]

5. Having worked on the clinical side and being a person with disabilities myself

I think it's a great idea.

Clients organizing to do this is empowering. In a system that does its level best to take away people's power, this is a great thing.

I'd see it on the clinical side during the years I worked in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, a hospital department/unit familiar to many people with disabilities. For the people who saw me as outpatients, the systems they had to work with were sometimes nightmares. Everything from home health systems to transportation often sucked. There were bright spots but, more frequently, they were set up in ways that disempowered people.

Which brings me to the only obstacle I can think of: there may be people who are afraid to go this route because it'll come back to haunt them with their home care agencies. I certainly saw it clinically. I'd say that a slight majority of my patients were loathe to complain because they felt that they'd been penalized for complaining in the past. From the stories that some told me, I suspect they were correct in their assessment of their situations. So that's a potential obstacle. I wouldn't let that stop you though -- you may or may not get that response from some people.

As for media, do you have a good local independent paper? That may be the place to start.

And Hannah Bell had good advice....start with your immediate circle and work on it widening from there.

Good luck! Let us know how it's going.

K&R

[EC]

3. Unless they are trying to keep their union organizing

on the quiet, so they don't get fired.

[hootinholler]

4. Sounds like a grand idea to me! n/t