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Subcommittee backs Delegate Chin bill to give independent home-care workers collective bargaining rights
Summary
The House Labor and Commerce Subcommittee voted 5-2 to report HB 2,089, a bill from Delegate Chin that would give Medicaid-funded independent home-care providers collective bargaining rights and create a Virginia Home Care Authority, contingent on passage of a separate omnibus collective bargaining bill.
Delegate Marcus Chin introduced House Bill 2,089 to the House Labor and Commerce Subcommittee on Feb. 12, 2025, asking the panel to report the measure that would extend collective bargaining rights to Medicaid-funded independent home-care providers and create a Virginia Home Care Authority.
The bill would allow Virginia’s roughly 28,000 Medicaid-funded independent providers to organize and collectively negotiate wages, benefits and working conditions and would establish the Virginia Home Care Authority at the Department of Medical Assistance Services (DMAS) to oversee home-care quality and serve as the public employer solely for collective bargaining purposes. Delegate Chin told the committee that many of these workers earn only $13.61 per hour on average statewide (about $17.62 in Northern Virginia) and that 49% rely on public assistance.
The measures’ supporters said collective bargaining could raise wages, expand access to training and lower turnover, improving continuity of care. Carol Bauer of the Virginia Education Association said, “We support this bill.” Julia Newton, with SEIU and a parent who hires home care for her son, told the committee, “I know firsthand about hiring and retaining home care members for my son.” Joyce Cross Mays of the Virginia AFL-CIO also voiced support.
An online commenter, identified in the record as Miss Howard, opposed the bill, saying her experience in a unionized workplace in New York led her to conclude collective bargaining can harm customer service. The committee acknowledged receiving an appropriation referral letter should it choose to report the bill.
Committee members approved a delayed-enactment amendment to align HB 2,089 with the omnibus collective-bargaining bill (HB 2,764); the patron and counsel explained HB 2,089 would take effect only if the omnibus bill also passes. The subcommittee voted 5-2 to report HB 2,089 and refer it to the Appropriations Committee.
Because the bill’s collective-bargaining provisions are contingent on the omnibus bill, its immediate legal effect depends on separate action in the General Assembly. The record shows proponents tied worker shortages and low pay to care continuity, and opponents raised service and performance concerns based on previous unionized settings.
Action: The subcommittee reported HB 2,089 and referred it to Appropriations by a 5–2 vote. The committee record includes a delayed-enactment amendment making HB 2,089 effective only if the omnibus collective-bargaining bill (HB 2,764) also becomes law.
