This newsletter is also available in:
Korean: 함께 더욱 강하게 SEIU 775 뉴스레터 여름호
Russian: Наша сила — в единстве: летняя новостная рассылка от SEIU 775
Simplified Chinese: 团结使我们更强大：SEIU 775 夏季内部通讯
Spanish: Juntos somos más fuertes: el boletín informativo de verano de SEIU 775
Vietnamese: Cùng Nhau Lớn Mạnh: Bản Tin Mùa Hè Của SEIU 775
Hello SEIU 775 Caregivers,
Summer for caregivers means coming together with our Union siblings, our families, and clients. In Washington, caregivers attended 12 BBQs this summer to celebrate our wins from this year – we showed our strength with decisionmakers in Olympia, we won meaningful raises for agency caregivers, and won a higher labor rate through our Rate Setting Board! Caregivers in Montana attended our first-ever Montana Caregiver Summit in late June, to celebrate Montana caregivers fighting for and winning raises of over $4 an hour and welcoming the hundreds of caregivers who joined our Union through organizing Consumer Direct Montana. Caregivers in Alaska are getting together in August to celebrate the second largest home care agency in Alaska – All Ways Caring – organizing and joining the caregivers of 775, and bargaining being underway for the two largest home care agencies in Alaska.
Our Union’s mission is about uniting to create a better life for ourselves, and those we care for, while leading the way to a just and equitable world. When we come together, we’re able to celebrate each other and our work, and get ready for our next fights! We all know caregiving can be lonely, and few people know all the ins and outs of our days. It’s why our summer celebrations mean so much to me – especially as we look ahead to a big election for caregivers and the people we care for.
And we’re heading to Spokane for our SEIU 775 Leadership Convention this September! I hope to see you there where we will continue to build our power and fight for a better future for all caregivers.
In Solidarity,
Sterling Harders
SEIU 775 President
Fighting for Better Caregiver Wages
I’m proud to be one of the caregivers on the Rate Setting Board committee this year.
The Rate Setting Board, which began meeting in April, will set the new labor rate, in other words, the amount of money we’ll have to bargain with for wages and benefits during the next contract period for IPs and agency caregivers in Washington. The new rate needs to be approved by the legislature before bargaining starts, but the Rate Setting Board process is a key part of winning better wages and benefits for caregivers.
Why did I want to be a part of helping to set this new labor rate? I’ll share with you my story that I shared with the Rate Setting Board during a meeting.
I’ve been a caregiver for nine years for my mom and I was my son’s caregiver for several years.
Because of inflation, my family has had to whittle down our budget more and give up things to save money – we don’t go out to eat anymore, we had to give up one of our cars so we share one car now, and I haven’t bought a single piece of new clothing for myself since January 2022.
I’ve had to stretch myself so thin, and I am so tired. I have my own health issues and I can barely take care of myself. Because focusing on my health takes time and effort, it means less time making money or doing things to save money or taking care of my family.
It’s hard. But this is my family and I need to take care of them.
I’m at the point where I’m struggling to pay bills again and this needs to change.
Caregivers need to make a real living wage, so that this is a good career for us and we can support our families and not have to struggle so hard. I shouldn’t have to do gig work on the side just to be able to afford groceries for my family.
As the Rate Setting Board meetings are coming to an end next month, I’m excited to see what we accomplish as a result of the hard work we’ve done these last few months to advocate for caregivers and am hopeful that we will win an increased labor rate to provide a sustainable income for caregivers.
– Gwen G., she/her, IP, South Puyallup, WA
Get Out to Vote: The Top 3 Things to Remember
Candidates filled out questionnaires and were interviewed by caregivers to determine which candidates were committed in our fight for living wages, affordable housing, access to affordable healthcare, respect for us and our work as caregivers, and a democracy and society that works for everyone of all races and backgrounds. For our list of endorsements, visit seiu775.org/2024endorsements
- Vote in the Washington primary election by Tuesday, August 6. If you didn’t receive a ballot, request a new one at vote.wa.gov
- Vote for Bob Ferguson for Washington State Governor. As Attorney General, Bob has consistently supported caregivers and fought for workers’ rights. He has a proven track record in protecting caregivers’ privacy against illegal data breaches, winning back wages for farmworkers and advocating for a $15 minimum wage, defending education funding through the capital gains tax, and more!
- Remember the important initiatives on the ballot that we need to vote NO on: Initiative 2124 – Don’t Take Away Washington’s Long-term Care benefit fund, vote NO on: Initiative 2109 – Stop Cuts to Childcare and Education Funding, and vote NO on: Initiative 2117 – Protect Our Air and Water, Forests and Farmland, Jobs and Transportation Investments. For more information on all of these bad initiatives that will hurt caregivers, go to seiu775.org/2024endorsements
Summer BBQs
“I moved to Washington about a year ago from Arizona, where there was no union and no way to talk amongst our peers. So coming to a BBQ where I got to be around other caregivers was very new to me. I had a lot of fun swapping stories with people and hearing their experiences as caregivers. I felt the sense of community from everyone that was there, and it made me proud to be a part of our Union. I’m excited for the future of WA caregivers, to see how we can continue improving caregivers’ lives, and to keep learning about the ways I can participate in our Union, because it’s already done a lot for me!”
– Aussa, she/them, IP, Pullman, WA
Montana Caregiver Summit
We hosted our first-ever Montana Caregiver Summit last month, where Montana caregivers came together for discussions around leadership experiences within our Union and the power of bargaining, and celebrating the amazing wins Montana caregivers have accomplished, including starting wages going up!
