Rebecca Sandoval (left) is president of SEIU 503’s homecare worker division.

Today the Oregon House voted in favor of SB 1534, which will require the state to provide training to every homecare and personal support worker in Oregon, in addition to creating new minimum training standards.

Hundreds of SEIU members wrote letters, made calls or shared their stories in support of this bill. Our work sent a clear signal to Salem — homecare and personal support workers need more support! Today, our voices were heard. 

“This legislation will provide much-needed support to homecare and personal support workers who have very difficult jobs,” said Maleta Christian, a personal support worker in Roseburg. “Training reduces turnover and helps workers succeed. That, in turn, improves the quality of life for Oregon’s seniors and people with disabilities. It’s a win-win.”

In Oregon there are about 30,000 homecare and personal support workers who provide services to seniors and people with disabilities who qualify for Medicaid.

“In-home care and personal support are among the fastest growing jobs in Oregon,” said Senator Kathleen Taylor, who championed the legislation. “Workforce development in this area will allow us to ensure that these jobs are good jobs, and it will lift up the women and people of color who are more likely to do this work. The training legislation is a good start.”

Better training, particularly when aligned with certifications and educational requirements in the healthcare industry, can help create career ladders for workers.

“There are so many caregivers out there who just don’t know what to do next,” said Crystal Baran, a homecare worker who is enrolling in nursing school this year. “They have the opportunity to go to school with the skills that they’ve learned. Training programs should push people to do that.”

Many homecare workers have no desire to pursue other jobs in healthcare, but support training because they want to increase their skills or earn higher wages that are tied to training programs. 58% of respondents in SEIU Local 503’s survey of homecare workers said that training improvements, tied to higher wages, should be a priority.

This legislation is a big step forward in our union’s ongoing campaign to raise wages and better-support care providers, while also improving services for Oregon’s seniors and people with disabilities. But there is a lot more that we need to do to lift up in-home care/support workers. By sticking together, we have the power to make it happen.

SB 1534 will now go to Governor Brown who is expected to sign the bill into law.