Roughly 3,000 caregivers in a Massachusetts state-funded homecare program for seniors voted to join 1199SEIU in late July.
The Consumer Directed Care (CDC) program allows seniors to train, schedule, direct, and super- vise their own caregivers to assist with homemaking tasks and personal care so they can live independently at home. 1199SEIU already represents more than 58,000 home healthcare workers who serve seniors and people with disabilities through the state’s MassHealth-funded Personal Care Attendant (PCA) program. CDC caregivers perform the same duties as PCAs, but had not been recognized as part of their bargaining unit. In 2023, the Massachusetts Legisla- ture passed a law allowing CDC caregivers the right to form a union under the Executive Office of Aging and Independence, just like their PCA peers.

“For me and many of my fellow CDC caregivers, who believed we were already a part of 1199SEIU, this victory is long overdue,” said Luz Echeverry, a CDC caregiver from Lawrence. “I love caring for others, and now I will be able to fight for my own well-being and future.”

CDC caregivers receive a base wage of $19.50/ hr, below what 1199SEIU PCAs won in their current
contract. They are also excluded from a wage scale that pays more to PCAs with additional years of experience and from training and advancement opportunities.

“Thousands of homecare workers in Massachusetts care for older adults and people with disabilities in their homes. They all deserve the same wages and benefits, regardless of which state program the person they care for is enrolled in,” said Rebecca Gutman, 1199SEIU Vice President of Homecare.

CDC caregivers will bargain with the state’s newly formed CDC Workforce Council starting in the fall.