Home care aides in Wisconsin are celebrating a new state budget signed yesterday by Gov. Jim Doyle that includes breakthrough improvements for home care workers and their clients.

Currently, many families in Wisconsin have difficulty finding experienced home care aides on their own, as their only resources to do so are by recruiting through classified ads or community bulletin boards. The new budget sets up the Wisconsin Quality Home Care Authority (WQHCA), which will create a registry to aid seniors in finding qualified independent home care workers, provide training to caregivers, and allow workers to choose whether to unite as a union.

The improvements give approximately 5,000 home care workers in Wisconsin the freedom to unite with SEIU.