Thousands of home-based health care providers have been forced into a union because they receive assistance from the state while they take care of loved ones who are disabled. The Service Employees International Union receives close to $6 million annually in forced dues from this abusive arrangement. 

House Bill 4003 would end this injustice by clarifying that Michiganders who care for relatives in their own homes are not government employees, and hence are not appropriate targets for government unions. That bill has passed the House but is stuck in the Senate. While we wait for the Senate to act, the SEIU continues to siphon money that was meant to help families.

Here's another example of where that money might be going, drawn from the SEIU's 2010 LM-2 report:

Jobs with Justice was the recipient of a $50,000 charitable grant from the union in 2010. JWJ describes itself as "a national network of local coalitions that bring together labor unions, faith groups, community organizations, and student activists to fight for working people." The organization has a broad agenda, "from labor law reform to health care; from union organizing campaigns to immigrant rights."

Among JWJ's projects is "Caring Across Generations," which seeks to "transform long-term care." JWJ intends to do this by creating local "care councils" and "care congresses." It also intends to "mobilize voters to the polls" and strengthen the civic voice of older adults for progressive change beyond the elections."  JWJ's long-term care agenda invokes numerous government programs, including Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security, as well as "rights to organize" and a "path to citizenship."

JWJ's plans for "Full and Fair Employment" begins with a call upon the U.S. Congress to pass legislation like the Local Jobs for America Act, extend the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families emergency fund jobs subsidies program, extend unemployment insurance, heed President Obama's call to renew the country's infrastructure and create a national infrastructure bank, and other bills they claim will "create jobs, protect public services, and help get our economy going again." The group also argues that "Wall Street must pay their fair share for the crisis they created," and suggests that "a tax on financial speculation could raise $200-$500 billion every year."

Jobs with Justice is one of many groups with clear political agendas that Michigan taxpayers may be helping to support, using funds that were meant to help families of people with disabilities.

Tomorrow: The Edward M. Kennedy Institute

Previously:

Clean Economy Development Center

Change That Works

Applied Research Center

Brave New Foundation

The Atlas Project

Change.org

SEIU Healthcare Michigan

Ballot Initiative Strategy Center

America Votes

Colorado WINS

Benenson Strategy Group

Americans United for Change

Center for American Progress Action Fund

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