Hello Friends,

This year, more than ever, caregivers must stand together to demand just treatment and equality for all home care workers and their families.

We are standing up to fund our new contract, to protect our health care and the rights of the thousands of immigrant caregivers who are members of our union.

One of those caregivers, an immigrant from Somalia, joined Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson’s lawsuit against the new administration’s executive order on immigrants and refugees. Yasmiin* – and all of us – won a victory Thursday when the Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals upheld the Temporary Restraining Order preventing the new prohibitions on travel and refugees from going into effect.

After immigrating from Somalia in 2001, Yasmiin settled in Seattle to build a home and life for herself, her husband, and their young children. For more than a decade, she has been proud to work as a caregiver for disabled and elderly clients. Washington is their home.

While Yasmiin and two of her children are US citizens, her husband and other children are legal residents. She worries about the safety of her children whenever they are away from home. Yasmiin especially fears for the safety of her four daughters.

As she said in the court pleadings:

“If they can treat people with green cards and visas the way they treated these people, who knows if they will come after naturalized citizens next? No one is safe.”

 

Yasmiin is not alone.

As we move forward, our union will continue to work tirelessly to protect the rights and families of all long-term care workers.

 

In solidarity,

Adam Glickman

Secretary-Treasurer

Media Contact

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