MIDLAND, Mich. — The Michigan House is expected to vote later today on legislation that would take money from home health caregivers and divert it to a union. Senate Bills 790 and 791 would classify home health caregivers, who receive federal and state aid to help care for their sick or disabled loved ones, as public employees. It would also create the Home Help Caregiver Council, a shell employer for the sole purpose of collective bargaining.

This scheme has been attempted in the past. In 2005, the Service Employees International Union quietly unionized and began skimming dues from nearly 60,000 individuals, many of whom were unaware that it was happening. During this time, the SEIU took $34 million from people caring for their family members and loved ones. The Legislature eventually ended the dues skim in 2012.

The SEIU attempted to circumvent this by putting Proposal 4 on the November 2012 ballot, which would have constitutionalized this scheme. At the time, no newspaper endorsed the proposal and voters rejected it 56% to 44%.

The end of mandatory unionization did not mean home health caregivers received less money. In the decade after SEIU’s dues skim ended, the program doubled in funding, going from around $300 million to around $600 million.

Patrick J. Wright, vice president for legal affairs at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, testified against the bills in front of the House Appropriations Committee this morning.

“These two bills would take necessary resources from our most vulnerable citizens and their family member providers and divert a windfall to the SEIU, for the union to use as it sees fit, including spending on partisan politics,” said Wright in his testimony. “This is atrocious public policy and lawmakers should reject it.”

Watch his full testimony below or click here.

Read more about this here.