Improving the lives of home care workers: a partnership of social work and labor

A school of social work with an occupational program specialization entered into an agreement with one of the largest trade unions in New York City to do a social and health services needs assessment for the union's newest members: home care workers. The vast majority of these home attendants are low-income African American and Latina women who care for frail aged and disabled Medicaid recipients to prevent nursing home placement. Structured interviews with a sample of 400 union members indicated a need for better health care coverage, especially for stress-related illnesses, along with personal social services to assist with housing, debt, child care, and family issues. The union used this independent university data in its subsequent collective bargaining and won expanded benefits for its members based on demonstrated need. The school then established a union-funded member assistance program to institutionalize ongoing support for these members. In the end, action research helped to create both social services and social change; low-income women of color have gained tangible new benefits; and social work's important ties to organized labor have been strengthened.