Caregivers Attend 1199SEIU Community Forum in Boston for $15/hr and Fair Contracts

March 12, 2015

Boston City Councilor Tito Jackson speaks at the Boston Community Forum

A recent community forum hosted by 1199SEIU members drew over 150 healthcare workers, advocates, and elected leaders to the union hall in Dorchester, a neighborhood of Boston, MA. Topics at the forum included key 1199SEIU legislative priorities, upcoming labor negotiations, wage inequality, and the emerging Fight for $15 movement. The Boston forum was the first of five events 1199SEIU members are hosting across the state this month as union members and allies ramp up for a major statewide mobilization to protest wage inequality on April 14, 2015.

Healthcare workers spoke about the prevalence of poverty wages in area hospitals, nursing homes, and home care programs, while also calling for investments in healthcare and homecare services and jobs. Check out photos on Facebook!

Meanwhile, nursing home workers at more than two dozen facilities in Massachusetts will be seeking progress towards a living wage of $15/hour as they negotiate new labor contracts with their employers this year.

Lionel Lubin, a Certified Nursing Assistant at Avery Manor Nursing Home, said he is struggling to make a living. "$15 still isn't enough, but we're fighting for it."

Annie Mae Bell, a PCA at the forum, stayed with her consumer for four days straight during one of the winter storms because she knew that without her, her consumer would be in great danger. Annie Mae Bell is just one PCA who goes above and beyond for her consumer while being paid poverty level wages.

Olivia Richard, a personal care attendant consumer, spoke at the forum about the dedication of her PCA and her personal support for the upcoming Fight for $15 in the PCA contact. “What really struck me is that we had this series of snowstorms, and I was hunkering down. I was floored when my PCA showed up at my door on time. She walked from Warren Avenue to Washington Street, which if you know Boston, is a really long way. PCAs are severely underpaid for what they do. Consumers need high quality healthcare, and without the help of home care workers, my quality of life goes down. I’m in support of a good PCA contract.”  

Kirsis Nina is a home care agency worker in Boston. Kirsis is excited to organize with other caregivers. "I get paid $10.65 an hour. When I heard that the union PCAs get $13.38 an hour, I decided I wanted to join the fight with other homecare workers. If we unite, we can be even stronger.”

Healthcare workers say they are uniting their struggles beginning with this evening’s forum as they ramp up for a series of mobilizations and demonstrations this year.

Kristin Knehans, an MRI tech at St. Elizabeth's Medical Center, says that she and her colleagues who are making a living wage support their fellow healthcare workers in their upcoming contract fights.

Kerry LaBarbera, a registered nurse at Boston Medical Center, said that she and her colleagues are hoping that legislators keep her DSH hospital in mind during the upcoming budget decisions. “BMC is a hospital that cares for a disproportionate number of patients on Medicaid and Medicare. We care for some of our community’s most vulnerable residents. We’re asking our legislative allies to prioritize funding for safety net and community hospitals in the budget.”

Healthcare, homecare, and nursing home workers alike are uniting on Tuesday, April 14, when they will rally and march in Boston. The event will be the first in a national wave of actions to support the Fight for $15 and workers’ rights.

The forum comes as a new report from the National Employment Law Project highlights how widespread poverty among homecare workers is undermining care. While revenue in the home care industry has soared 48 percent over the past decade, average hourly wages for workers has declined by almost 6 percent during that period, according to the report.