Sep 8, 2021
Your bargaining team met with the state again this week and we made steady progress toward what is shaping up to be a landmark agreement with the State. Our priorities were to keep pushing on key issues like wages, steps (an industry term for automatic annual pay increases), and hazard pay. We believe we are going to win on each of these key issues without sacrificing consumer hours!
We are also working hard to address the issue of late pay. Dozens of SEIU 503 members took part in an action on Labor Day to demand the State address the late pay issue. Here’s a great example from Larry Murphy: “I have worked as an HCW and PSW for family members for over 10 years and LATE PAY IS NOT ACCEPTABLE. Many of us struggle to survive financially on what we can earn and OUR DUE DATES FOR BILLS do not operate at the convenience of the State of Oregon. In an age of computers, this should be a Simple Fix as SEIU has proposed.”
We’ve updated the action with a new message and a new target: The Oregon Home Care Commission. We are asking for a few minutes of your time again today. If you have a Facebook account and a few minutes to spare, you can help us fix late pay!
Contract bargaining is a long process, but through this work we have been able to keep our wages well above the national average of $9 per hour and continue to make steady progress for ourselves and our consumers. But we know workers deserve a much better system, and much higher pay than what we see today.
We are essential. It’s time we are respected, protected and paid for the work we do!
Thank you for your support, and we’ll have more to report next week!
In Unity,
Homecare Bargaining Team