© 2024 University of Missouri - KBIA
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Mo. Home Care Union hopes for first contract

A union representing 13,000 workers who provide in-home care to the disabled says it hopes a decision by the Missouri Supreme Court can clear the way for negotiations with the state on a contract.

The Supreme Court declined Tuesday to hear an appeal of a May ruling upholding a vote by the workers to be represented by the Missouri Home Care Union. The union says that clears the "last legal obstacle delaying negotiations" on its first contract.

The workers are paid by the state to help the disabled in their homes with daily tasks such as bathing and cleaning.

They were given the right to unionize under a 2008 ballot initiative approved by voters. But the certification of a subsequent unionization vote was tied up in court.
 

The Associated Press is one of the largest and most trusted sources of independent newsgathering, supplying a steady stream of news to its members, international subscribers and commercial customers. AP is neither privately owned nor government-funded; instead, it's a not-for-profit news cooperative owned by its American newspaper and broadcast members.