The sweeping vaccination mandate issued by Gov. Jay Inslee demands that hundreds of thousands of health care and government workers get fully vaccinated by Oct. 18 or face firing.
That includes doctors and nurses, chiropractors and massage therapists, and people working in dental offices, pharmacies and midwifery centers. It also applies to tens of thousands of K-12 and state government employees, including many still working remotely from home. Inslee has generally been tough with his order, declining to offer a regular testing alternative like those offered in other states for employees who don’t want to receive vaccines.
But his order included a glaring omission — exempting tens of thousands of unionized home-care workers who care for older adults and people with disabilities, helping them with meals, dressing, bathing and other daily tasks. On Page 9 of Inslee’s Aug. 20 proclamation was a little-noticed clause stating the mandate does not apply to “individual providers” and others who offer personal care in someone’s home. Washington has about 45,000 such providers, who contract with the state to provide in-home services to clients who are eligible for care through Medicaid. Thousands more not covered by the mandate are home-care workers who are trained, paid and supervised by larger home-care agencies.
The providers are represented by SEIU 775, the politically influential union that has long been a major benefactor for Democrats in the Legislature, and an Inslee ally. The union has regularly poured millions into political campaigns, mostly to keep Democrats in control at the state Capitol, and to pass initiatives for higher minimum wages and other worker protections.
An SEIU 775 leader says the union supports vaccination efforts and did not seek the exemption. Inslee’s office and other state officials said the exemption was justified because of the unique working arrangements of the home-based individual providers and their clients. (Seattle Times)
