$400 Million In Higher Wages & Benefits For Home Care Workers
Over the last five years, by
uniting together with SEIU Healthcare 775NW and holding politicians accountable, home care
workers have won $400 million in higher wages and benefits for home care
workers. In March, the legislature approved funding for our new union contract
for individual provider home care workers and funding for agency caregivers as
well. Under the new contract individual provider caregivers will see wages
increase to $9.73 in July 2007 and $10.03 in July 2008, and thousands of hours
that were unfairly cut because of the Shared Living Rule will be restored in
October 2007.
Before the union came, I
was making just over minimum wage with no benefits. Now we have a union
contract that will get us to $10/hr next year, L&I benefits, health,
dental, and vision insurance, and paid vacations!
– Janet Rodriguez, home care
worker