September 21, 2011

GOV. MALLOY ADVANCES WORKERS' RIGHTS FOR PERSONAL CARE ATTENDANTS, FAMILY CHILD CARE PROVIDERS

Lays groundwork for future collective bargaining

(HARTFORD, CT) - Governor Dannel P. Malloy today signed two executive orders which will advance workers' rights for personal care attendants and family child care providers and help lay the groundwork for them to organize and collectively bargain in the future.

Executive Order No. 9 will allow certain family child care providers who receive subsidies through the Care 4 Kids program run by the Department of Social Services to elect a "majority representative" to have non-binding discussions with DSS over such issues as the quality and availability of family child care in the state, improving recruitment and retention of qualified family child care providers, compensation, and training and professional development.

Executive Order No. 10 will establish a seven-member Personal Care Attendant Quality Home Care Workforce Council consisting of the Commissioner of Social Services, who will serve as chairperson, the Commissioner of Developmental Services, and the Healthcare Advocate, or their respective designees, and four other people who will be appointed by the Governor. The Workforce Council is tasked with studying issues related to retention, training, and compensation for personal care attendants. It is required to establish personal care attendant registries to enable consumers to find and look up background information on personal care attendants, and is tasked with studying issues related to retention, training, and compensation for personal care attendants. In addition, Executive Order 10 establishes a way for personal care attendants to elect a "majority representative" to have non-binding discussions with the Workforce Council over such issues as the quality and availability of personal care attendants, recruitment and retention, compensation, and training and professional development.

Both Executive Orders establish their own working group to discuss and issue a report to the Governor on how best to establish formal collective bargaining rights for the family child care providers and personal care attendants covered by the Executive Orders.

"I have said repeatedly that I believe in the rights of workers to organize and collectively bargain, and personal care attendants and family child care providers are often-times the hardest-working, and lowest-paid workers in our job force," said Governor Malloy. "These executive orders will enable them to begin informal conversations with DSS and the Workforce Council immediately on quality-of-life issues, with an eye toward establishing formal collective bargaining rights in the future. It is important that those who care for both our youngest and oldest citizens receive equitable pay and workforce security."

**Attached: Executive Order No. 9

**Attached: Executive Order No. 10

###

For Immediate Release: September 21, 2011

Twitter: @GovMalloyOffice

Facebook: Office of Governor Dannel P. Malloy