Minn. home health care workers file for union election

More than 26,000 are eligible to cast votes on whether to join the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), in one of the largest organizing drives in the state's history.

Minnesota Public Radio: Home Health Care Workers To Hold Largest Union Vote In State History
Home health care workers in Minnesota are moving ahead with a union election, even though the U.S. Supreme Court ruled last week that similar workers don't have to pay any union dues. Union organizers presented a petition to state officials Tuesday in St. Paul, and said it will trigger the largest vote of its kind in state history. State legislation in 2013 passed a bill that allows a unionization vote by workers who provide care to elderly and disabled people in their homes. There are more than 26,000 workers who are eligible to vote, and the 9,000 cards delivered to the state Bureau of Mediation Services exceeded the 30 percent required to trigger an election (Pugmire, 7/8).

The Star Tribune: SEIU, Minnesota Home Health Care Workers File For Union Election
Home health care workers took the first step in their push for higher wages and benefits Tuesday, seeking a union election for about 26,000 personal care attendants in Minnesota. Union officials said it could be one of the largest organizing drives in state history. Flanked by clients with disabilities, pro-union workers rallied in the parking lot of the Minnesota Bureau of Mediation Services in St. Paul to announce their intention to join Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Healthcare Minnesota (McGuire, 7/8).