Independent home care workers who provide services to Medicaid-eligible consumers voted to unionize in Missouri and Wisconsin on May 5 and 6, respectively, totaling 17,000 workers who will be represented there. Read the full story

Rep. Gwen Moore (D-WI)

Along with many economists and advocacy organizations, Rep.  Gwen Moore (D-WI) wants to see women’s poverty placed at the very top of the nation’s agenda. And she has exerted her political power as a U.S. representative to pursue this goal by advocating for the inclusion of women in President Obama’s economic stimulus package.

Moore’s passion for supporting low-income women is not just political but personal — She was a teenaged mother who lived on government assistance. Now she’s fighting to narrow the wage gap and increase post-secondary education for women on welfare. Thanks to a writeup at WomensEnews.org, we caught wind of the comments she delivered at the Democratic National Convention on women and poverty, and we tracked her down this week as she was on her way to cast votes in the House. Read the full story

A recent “listening session” on the direct-care workforce for Wisconsin legislators demonstrated the power — and the limitations — of capturing lawmakers’ attention with personal testimonials.

Family members attested to the importance of paid caregivers, employers discussed the increasing difficulty of recruiting enough workers, and direct-care workers talked about the difficulty of surviving on their wages as gas prices and other expenses increase.

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