September 23, 2025 | Cascadia Daily News
Caregivers of adults with disabilities at Evergreen Supported Living in Bellingham are threatening to strike unless staffing and wage demands are met.
The caregivers, represented by Service Employees International Union (SEIU) 775, say the quality of residential care provided to adults with disabilities is threatened by understaffing. Members of SEIU 775 who voted to authorize a strike are asking for higher wages, increased staffing, training and more input in operations. The starting wage at Evergreen is currently $21.50/hour, while the organization’s executive director, Zay McShane, received a compensation package of $115,143 in 2024, according to the nonprofit’s tax filing.
SEIU 775 members at Evergreen, who unionized in June 2024, have been negotiating for nearly a year and say the last thing they want to do is strike. Evergreen provides care for adults with disabilities in designated residential homes and who mostly pay for services with Medicaid.
The nonprofit is in a tough financial situation due to changes in Medicaid funding at the federal level and state budget shortcomings, McShane told CDN.
Evergreen caregivers say that due to staff shortages, clients receive next to no recreational outings and are limited to medical appointments and grocery trips for weeks at a time. Evergreen has experienced up to 90% staff turnover in the last six years, said Trent Mulder, an Evergreen caregiver.