Rally calls for state action on improving home care jobs and care

Hundreds of home care workers and senior and disability rights advocates gathered at the state Capitol building on Wednesday to rally support for legislation that would improve jobs and access to care.

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	In a statement, Sen. Hertel (l) said, “I am proud to sponsor legislation that will restore bargaining rights for individual Home Help providers, and create a public authority.
	Rally calls for state action on improving home care jobs and care By Jean Davis tellusdetroit.com LANSING, MI - Hundreds of home care workers and senior and disability rights advocates gathered at the state Capitol building on Wednesday to rally support for legislation that would improve jobs and access to care. The proposed legislation would restore home healthcare workers’ right to form a union and create a state authority to help with self-directed care. This would help address the growing and vital need for home care services in Michigan, which has been in a crisis as thousands of families are without options for home care due to too many workers leaving or not being able to afford to join the workforce. The bills, House Bills 790 and 791, are being co-sponsored by State Senators Kevin Hertel and Sylvia Santana, who serve as chair and vice-chair of the chamber’s health policy committee. The legislation would restore bargaining rights for approximately 31,000 workers who provide care through the Home Help program, whose union rights were stripped away in 2012. Since then, Michigan has been paying home care workers some of the lowest wages in the country. In a statement, Sen. Hertel said, “I am proud to sponsor legislation that will restore bargaining rights for individual Home Help providers, and create a public authority. An authority for home care workers means better care for seniors and persons with disabilities, and saves taxpayer dollars by allowing people to avoid the expense of a nursing home.” The proposed legislation would also help address the growing need for home care services in Michigan, where the senior population is booming. The state is expected to have 115,500 home care job openings from 2020–2030. Training, better benefits, and higher pay for home care workers through a Home Help authority, along with restoring their bargaining rights, will bring caregivers to these jobs, encourage continuity of care, relieve the burden of the high cost of a nursing home, and enable better health at home. “Seniors need to be able to access the quality care they need when they need it, and they’d prefer to get that help at home,” said Alison Hirschel, director of the Michigan Elder Justice Initiative. “These seniors, some of whom have seen everything from world wars to a worldwide pandemic, deserve to be cared for with dignity.” Michigan’s older population is above the national average. By 2030, the retirement age population will grow by more than 30% — 450,000 people. An estimated 23 percent of the state’s population has at least one disability, making the proposed legislation even more crucial. “There must be a public policy developed that serves people with IDD so they are not waitlisted for long term support and services,” said Jill Gerrie, the project coordinator for The Arc Michigan. “Having the infrastructure and authority helps address a health crisis for our IDD community, and we strongly support this legislation.” Home care workers across the country are winning legislative changes to improve care and jobs in their states that stabilize the workforce. SEIU Local 2015 home care workers in San Francisco recently negotiated a union contract that includes a path to earn $25.50 — the highest home care wage in California. “We’re ready to be an example to California — and the nation — of the power home care workers have in shaping the future of care in favor of caregivers and our recipients,” said SEIU Local 2015 member Boxinett King. In addition, Illinois home care worker Lillie Cleeton told the crowd, “It’s time for Michigan to follow our lead in Illinois! If workers are supported, we can provide better support to the folks to whom we provide care.” You can watch the livestream of Wednesday’s event here and more on Facebook.