Month: January 2020

 

Companion bill to Senate Bill 6205 hears testimonies from caregivers in the House Labor & Workplace Standards Committee

 

OLYMPIA, WA – Today, caregivers, agency employers, and allies testified in front of the Washington state House Labor & Workplace Standards Committee in support of House Bill 2681 – a bill that addresses the harassment, abuse, and discrimination of caregivers.

“Every single time workers demand rights and protections, the response is that this isn’t the right time, or that we need to slow down, or that we need to study the problem more,” said SEIU 775 President Sterling Harders. “But caregivers in this state are at risk. People deserve to be safe while giving and receiving care.”

HB 2681 was created with significant input from caregivers and the aging and disability rights community, including self-advocates. Caregivers from across the state urge the legislature to pass this powerful and comprehensive policy that ensures everyone can feel safe while giving and receiving care. 

Caregiver Danielle Green said: “While my client’s mother behaved in ways that made the overall care environment dangerous, they did not appear to put her son – my client – in immediate danger. When my client’s mother came after me with a butcher knife, there was no one for me to report it to who would have my back and ensure I was safe at work.”

For caregivers, incidents of harassment, abuse and discrimination can come from anyone in the care environment – including other people residing in or visiting their client’s home, friends, family, or neighbors. And the impacts can linger. It affects caregivers’ health, wellbeing, and quality of care. Additionally, it leads to increased turnover among direct care workers, which can lower quality of care for clients.

SEIU 775 testified in support of HB 2681 because:

  • Everyone deserves to feel safe at work and while giving & receiving care.
  • Everyone deserves to feel respected when giving & receiving care.
  • Everyone wants to strengthen long-term care workforce and system in our state.
  • And above all, caregivers want to provide the best quality care they can.

The bill is sponsored in the Washington state House of Representatives by Mike Chapman, 24th District; Eileen Cody, 34th District; Lauren Davis, 32nd District; Carolyn Eslick, 39th District; Noel Frame, 36th District; Roger Goodman, 45th District; Mia Gregerson, 33rd District; Paul Harris, 17th District; Christine Kilduff, 28th District; John Lovick, 44th District; Nicole Macri, 43rd District; Timm Ormsby, 3rd District; Lillian Ortiz-Self, 21st District; Tina Orwall, 33rd District; Gerry Pollet, 46th District; Marcus Riccelli, 3rd District; June Robinson, 38th District; Mike Sells, 38th District; Sharon Shewmake, 42nd District; Monica Jurado Stonier, 49th District; Gael Tarleton, 36th District; My-Linh Thai, 41st District; Steve Tharinger, 24th District; Javier Valdez, 46th District; and Amy Walen, 48th District.

HB 2681 is the companion bill to Senate Bill 6205, which caregivers testified in support of in front of the Senate Health and Long Term Care Committee on January 15.

More information on SEIU 775’s campaign to address harassment, abuse and discrimination (HADit) is available at: seiu775.org/HADit

 

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SEIU 775

SEIU 775, the caregivers union, represents more than 45,000 long-term care workers providing quality home care, nursing home care, and residential services in Washington and Montana.

This year, the Washington state Legislative Session is only a couple months long. That means we have a lot of work to do in a shorter amount of time!

Our caregivers from across the state will be heading to Olympia over the next two months to ask for lawmakers’ support on important legislation and budget items that impact not just us, but our communities and the people we care for.

HADit_reduced

Here are our legislative priorities that we’re asking lawmakers in Olympia to support this year:

Addressing the Harassment, Abuse, and Discrimination of caregivers: At SEIU 775, we believe everyone should feel safe at work and while giving and receiving care. Yesterday, caregivers went to Olympia and testified in front of the Senate Health and Long Term Care Committee in support of Senate Bill 6205 – a bill that will address the harassment, abuse, and discrimination of caregivers.

We first introduced our campaign to address Harassment, Abuse, and Discrimination – or as we call it, HADit – at our Leadership Conference in September, and since then, we have worked with caregivers, lawmakers, and the aging and disability rights community, including self-advocates, to draft legislation, testify in front of lawmakers before the legislative session had even begun, and continue conversations with stakeholders.

We also know that there is a history of harassment, abuse and discrimination of people with disabilities. While this legislation focuses on the treatment of caregivers, we’re working closely with members of the disability rights community to make the care environment safer for everyone.

We look forward to working with advocates throughout this process to make the care environment safer for everyone.

Improving Funding for Home Care Agencies: We are asking legislators to clarify the Parity law, so agency caregivers are paid equivalent wages and benefits for doing the same work that State-paid Individual Providers do.  We are also pushing for a 10-cent increase to the in-home care agency administrative rate, which will help stabilize funding for agencies and help ensure access to home care for Washingtonians who need it.

Improve the Nursing Homes reimbursement system: Additional funding for the Nursing Home system in our state will help ensure quality care to our most vulnerable residents.

Investing in the newly established Consumer-Directed Employer: The Individual Provider system is transitioning to this model and needs carefully targeted investments to ensure strong administration of the program.

Passing the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights:  The Domestic Workers Bill of Rights will extend critical worker protection laws to domestic workers, including minimum wage requirements, overtime pay requirements, rest and meal breaks, and protections against sexual harassment and discrimination, and create a pathway for workers to have an ongoing voice in their compensation and working conditions.

Balancing our upside-down tax code: We support proposals to rebalance our tax code and make it work for working people, which includes passing a capital gains tax and a Working Families Tax Credit.

Supporting justice, access to healthcare, and safe communities for all Washingtonians, regardless of if we’re white, Black, or brown, our gender, our abilities, or how much money we earn: We support investments and policy changes to make Washington thrive for all people through the Worker Protection Act, secure scheduling, affordable housing and tenant rights, access to dental therapists, affordable prescriptions including insulin, criminal justice reform, immigrant rights, gender equality, language access, and climate justice.

Together, we can build a better future for all of us.

 

SEIU 775 President Sterling Harders: “This bill will make the care environment safer for both caregivers and the people they care for by creating safety, prevention, and reporting standards. Caregivers in this state are at risk every single day, and we need real protections now.”

 

OLYMPIA, WA – Today, SEIU 775 President Sterling Harders, caregivers, agency employers, Parent Providers, and allies testified in front of the Washington state Senate Health and Long Term Care Committee in support of Senate Bill 6205 – a bill that addresses the harassment, abuse, and discrimination of caregivers.

“This bill will make the care environment safer for both caregivers and the people they care for by creating safety, prevention, and reporting standards,” said SEIU 775 President Sterling Harders. “Caregivers in this state are at risk every single day, and we need real protections now.”

SB 6205 was created with significant input from caregivers and the aging and disability rights community, including self-advocates. Caregivers from across the state urge the legislature to pass this powerful and comprehensive policy that ensures everyone can feel safe while giving and receiving care.

“I’m a Parent Provider, and I support Senate Bill 6205 addressing harassment, abuse, and discrimination of caregivers as a caregiver and as an advocate for my son,” said caregiver Melissah Watts, who cares for her son, Max, who has developmental disabilities. Max joined her at the hearing.

Caregivers typically work in isolated environments. A survey of Washington caregivers found:

  • 47 percent reported experiencing verbal abuse while working
  • 24 percent reported physical violence
  • 12 percent reported sexual harassment (Parent Providers were not asked this question)

For caregivers, incidents of harassment, abuse and discrimination can come from anyone in the care environment – including other people residing in or visiting their client’s home, friends, family, or neighbors. But the impact is more than an immediate reaction. It affects caregivers’ health, wellbeing, and quality of care. Additionally, it leads to increased turnover among direct care workers, which can lower quality of care for clients.

Caregiver Darryl Johnson said, “A couple years ago, I was working with an elderly white woman. A couple weeks into working with her, she started to make inappropriate comments toward me. As a Black male caregiver, I was scared. I thought I was going to go to jail because of what she was saying, and no one would believe me. I stopped working with this client – but it meant I gave up a paycheck to feel safe.”

SEIU 775 testified in support of SB 6205 because:

  • Everyone deserves to feel safe at work and while giving & receiving care.
  • Everyone deserves to feel respected when giving & receiving care.
  • Everyone wants to strengthen long-term care workforce and system in our state.
  • And above all, caregivers want to provide the best quality care they can.

The bill is sponsored in the Washington state Senate by Andy Billig, 3rd District, Spokane; Annette Cleveland, 49th District, Vancouver; Steve Conway, 29th District, Tacoma; Manka Dhingra, 45th District, Redmond; David Frockt, 46th District, Seattle, Kenmore, Lake Forest Park; Karen Keiser, 33rd District, Des Moines; Mark Mullet, 5th District, Issaquah; Emily Randall, 26th District, Bremerton; Rebecca Saldaña, 37th District, Seattle; Kevin Van De Wege, 24th District, Sequim.

More information on SEIU 775’s campaign to address harassment, abuse and discrimination (HADit) is available at: seiu775.org/HADit

 

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SEIU 775

SEIU 775, the caregivers union, represents more than 45,000 long-term care workers providing quality home care, nursing home care, and residential services in Washington and Montana.

Thank you for RSVPing to attend and support caregivers at the HADit Senate Hearing on Wednesday, January 15 in Olympia. An organizer will follow-up with you in the next couple of days with additional information.