April 7, 2021 Update: Amicable APs will get a $2.71 per hour increase to our base wages for all hours worked in April, May, and June 2021.  

You can read the latest MOU here.   

January 15, 2021 Update: Amicable APs will continue to get a $2.71 increase to our base wages for all hours worked in January, February, and March 2021. We’ll also continue to receive an additional $2 of targeted Hazard Pay per hour if taking care of a COVID-19 test-positive client.

You can read the latest MOU here.

Amicable APs are also in the 1A priority group for getting the COVID-19 vaccine because of our advocacy as a Union. Learn how to get the vaccine here.

August 21, 2020 Update: We have exciting news for Amicable caregivers. Our bargaining team has been working to reach an agreement with Amicable about extending Hazard Pay – and thanks to workers raising their voices, we have made it happen!

Hazard pay: Amicable APs will now get a $2.71 increase to your base wages for all hours worked in July, August, and September. You’ll also receive an additional $2 an hour of targeted hazard pay if taking care of a COVID-19 test-positive client.  You’ll see your hazard pay for hours you already worked in your August 20 paycheck.

PPE: You will continue to be provided with all the necessary PPE for caring for all your clients.

You can read the latest MOU here. 

Through impact bargaining, Amicable caregivers have won:  

  1. Hazard Pay: Amicable APs will receive an additional $3 an hour for every hour worked in May and June. We are all on the front lines, so all Amicable APs will receive this pay, regardless if you are caring for a client with COVID-19. And you’ll get an additional $25 targeted-hazard pay per shift for taking care of COVID-19 test-positive clients. 
  2. More PPE: Amicable has committed to spending additional funds to provide PPE and supplies intended to protect workers, including one-time–use N-95 masks, gowns, and gloves for caring for test-positive clients. 
  3. Healthcare and Training: Amicable is increasing their hourly contribution rate to the Training Partnership and Health Benefits Trust for all hours worked in May and June, so no one loses healthcare coverage. 

Read the full MOU here.

Despite the State facing a growing budget deficit as a result of the pandemic, Governor Inslee agreed to increase funding for home care agencies like Amicable in order to provide this immediate support to caregivers. This was all made possible because of caregivers like you sending letters, signing petitions, sharing your stories, and so much more to demand the Legislature prioritize caregivers to receive Federal stimulus money.  

Standing together got us to this point – we need to keep this up to make sure that caregivers are treated as the essential professionals they are. 

April 7, 2021 Update: Chesterfield APs will get a $2.73 per hour increase to our base wages for all hours worked in April, May, and June 2021.  

You can read the latest MOU here.   

January 15, 2021 Update: Chesterfield APs will continue to get a $2.73 increase to our base wages for all hours worked in January, February, and March 2021. We’ll also continue to receive an additional $2 of targeted Hazard Pay per hour if taking care of a COVID-19 test-positive client.  

 You can read the latest MOU here.   

 Chesterfield APs are also in the 1A priority group for getting the COVID-19 vaccine because of our advocacy as a Union. Learn how to get the vaccine here.  

August 24, 2020 update: We have exciting news for Chesterfield caregivers. Our bargaining team has been working to reach an agreement with Chesterfield about extending Hazard Pay – and thanks to workers raising their voices, we have made it happen!

Hazard pay: Chesterfield APs will now get a $2.73 increase to your base wages for all hours worked in July, August, and September. You’ll also receive an additional $25 per shift of targeted hazard pay if taking care of a COVID-19 test-positive client.  You’ll see your hazard pay for hours you already worked in your September 1 paycheck.

PPE: You will continue to be provided with all the necessary PPE for caring for all your clients.

You can read the latest MOU here.

Through impact bargaining Chesterfield caregivers have won:

  • Hazard Pay: Chesterfield APs will receive an additional $3 an hour for every hour worked in May and June. We are all on the front lines, so all Chesterfield APs will receive this pay regardless if you are caring for a client with COVID-19. And, you’ll get an additional $25 targeted-hazard pay per shift for taking care of COVID-19 test-positive clients.
  • More PPE: Chesterfield has committed to spending additional funds to provide PPE and supplies intended to protect workers, including one-time use N-95 masks, gowns, and gloves for caring for test-positive clients.
  • Healthcare and Training: Chesterfield is increasing their hourly contribution rate to the Training Partnership and Health Benefits Trust for all hours worked in May and June, so no one loses healthcare coverage.

See the full MOU here.

Despite the State facing a growing budget deficit as a result of the pandemic, Governor Inslee agreed to increase funding for home care agencies like Chesterfield in order to provide this immediate support to caregivers. This was all made possible because of caregivers like you sending letters, signing petitions, sharing your stories, and so much more to demand the Legislature prioritize caregivers to receive Federal stimulus money.

Standing together got us to this point, we need to keep this up to make sure that caregivers are treated as the essential professionals they are.

April 5, 2021 Update: First Choice APs will get a $2.54 per hour increase to our base wages for all hours worked in April, May, and June 2021.  

You can read the latest MOU here.   

January 25, 2021 Update: First Choice APs will get a $2.54 per hour increase to our base wages for all hours worked in January, February, and March 2021.  

You can read the latest MOU here.  

First Choice APs are also in the 1A priority group for getting the COVID-19 vaccine because of our advocacy as a Union. Learn how to get the vaccine here. 

August 13, 2020 Update: We have exciting news for First Choice caregivers. Our bargaining team has been working to reach an agreement with First Choice about extending Hazard Pay – and thanks to workers raising their voices, we have made it happen!

Hazard pay: First Choice APs will now get a $2.75 increase to your base wages for all hours worked in July, August, and September. You’ll see your hazard pay for hours you already worked in your September 1 paycheck.

PPE: You will continue to be provided with all the necessary PPE for caring for all your clients.

You can read the latest MOU here. 

Through impact bargaining, First Choice caregivers have won:  

  • Hazard Pay: First Choice APs will receive an additional $3.50 an hour for every hour worked in May and June. We are all on the front lines, so all First Choice APs will receive this pay regardless if you are caring for a client with COVID-19.  
  • More PPE: First Choice has committed to spending $166,000 to provide PPE and supplies intended to protect workers, including one-time use N-95 masks,  gowns, and gloves for caring for test-positive clients. 
  • Healthcare and Training: First Choice is increasing their hourly contribution rate to the Training Partnership and Health Benefits Trust for all hours worked in May and June, so no one loses healthcare coverage. 

See the full MOU here.

Despite the State facing a growing budget deficit as a result of the pandemic, Governor Inslee agreed to increase funding for home care agencies like First Choice in order to provide this immediate support to caregivers. This was all made possible because of caregivers like you sending letters, signing petitions, sharing your stories, and so much more to demand the Legislature prioritize caregivers to receive Federal stimulus money.  

Standing together got us to this point, we need to keep this up to make sure that caregivers are treated as the essential professionals they are. 

Amirah Harris, a caregiver in Tacoma and member of SEIU 775, received the vaccine and said it’s important for caregivers like her to get it.

“We are in contact with people who are not in the best health,” Harris noted. “We are in contact with people who cannot make the best decisions for themselves, so we have to make a good decision for ourselves in a way that impacts others in a good way.”

Harris added she’s spoken to colleagues who are skeptical about the vaccine and encourages them to do research into its safety.

Nearly 30% of Washingtonians have received at least one shot of the vaccine, according to the most recent data tracked by The New York Times.

Read more at Public News Service.

April 2, 2021 Update: KWA APs will get a $2.55 per hour increase to our base wages for all hours worked in April, May, and June 2021. We’ll also receive an additional $1 of targeted Hazard Pay per hour if taking care of a COVID-19 test-positive client. 

You can read the latest MOU here.  

February 5, 2021 Update: KWA APs will get a $2.55 per hour increase to our base wages for all hours worked in January, February, and March 2021. We’ll also receive an additional $1 of targeted Hazard Pay per hour if taking care of a COVID-19 test-positive client. 

You can read the latest MOU here.  

KWA APs are also in the 1A priority group for getting the COVID-19 vaccine because of our advocacy as a Union. Learn how to get the vaccine here. 

August 21, 2020 update: We have exciting news for KWA caregivers. Our bargaining team has been working to reach an agreement with KWA about extending Hazard Pay – and thanks to workers raising their voices, we have made it happen!

Hazard pay: KWA APs will now get a $2.73 increase to your base wages for all hours worked in July, August, and September. You’ll also receive an additional $1 an hour of targeted hazard pay if taking care of a COVID-19 test-positive client.  You’ll see your hazard pay for hours you already worked in your August 31 paycheck.

PPE: You will continue to be provided with all the necessary PPE for caring for all your clients.

You can read the latest MOU here. 

Through impact bargaining, KWA caregivers have won:  

  1. Hazard Pay: KWA APs will receive an additional $3.15 an hour for every hour worked in May and June. We are all on the front lines, so all KWA APs will receive this pay, regardless if you are caring for a client with COVID-19. And you’ll get an additional $1 targeted-hazard pay per hour for taking care of COVID-19 test-positive clients. 
  2. More PPE: KWA has committed to spending additional funds to provide PPE and supplies intended to protect workers, including one-time-use N-95 masks, gowns, and gloves for caring for test-positive clients. 
  3. Healthcare and Training: KWA is increasing their hourly contribution rate to the Training Partnership and Health Benefits Trust for all hours worked in May and June, so no one loses healthcare coverage. 

See the full MOU here.

Despite the State facing a growing budget deficit as a result of the pandemic, Governor Inslee agreed to increase funding for home care agencies like KWA in order to provide this immediate support to caregivers. This was all made possible because of caregivers like you sending letters, signing petitions, sharing your stories, and so much more to demand the Legislature prioritize caregivers to receive Federal stimulus money.  

Standing together got us to this point – we need to keep this up to make sure that caregivers are treated as the essential professionals they are. 

UPDATE: Hazard Pay will continue for IPs through June 2021 at $2.54 an hour

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, caregivers have been bargaining with the State for protection, pay, and support. We’ve sent petitions, shared our stories, and sat (virtually) across from the State at the bargaining table.

Bargaining with the State this year has been very different than our contract negotiations over the last decade. The State is facing a multi-billion-dollar deficit over the next several years because of the pandemic and the economic impact. And they have already imposed furloughs – unpaid days off – on all state employees – and in negotiations with other public employees, the State is proposing wage freezes and even reductions in pay.

While others saw these wage freezes and reductions, caregivers didn’t settle, and we now have two major updates for all in-home caregivers:

  •  IP Contract. The arbitrator heard us and we won a wage increase of five times as much as what the State initially offered – we won an increase in wages of 3% across the two years of the contract. We also won continued affordable healthcare, credit for prior home care work experience, and paid holidays for the first time ever!
  • Hazard Pay. Caregiver Hazard Pay was set to run out at the end of September – but it’s been extended! For the rest of 2020, IPs will receive an additional $2.56 per hour, and $2.54 per hour from January through June of 2021. Just like with the previous Hazard Pay awards, we’re negotiating for extended Hazard Pay with all agencies next.

With the IP contract win, we still have a fight ahead of us. We need to demand that our Legislators fund our contract when they go into legislative session in January and make sure that all our clients continue to receive essential home care services. We’ll be telling lawmakers to fund our new contract, which will:

  • Increase wages: We’re getting five times as much what the State initially offered equaling to an increase in wages of 3% across the two years of the contract, which works out to about 25-30 cents per year depending on what step you are at.
  • Not increase healthcare premiums: Funding will cover expected healthcare inflation and our premium cost – $25 per year – will not increase, which it has not for the past decade.
  • Continue providing PPE: The State has agreed to continue providing PPE – at no cost to caregivers – based on public health guidance.
  • Protect caregivers with strong HADit language: Strong language in our contract will help protect caregivers from harassment, abuse, and discrimination.
  • Increase PTO: An increase in the PTO accrual cap from 120 hours to 130 hours.
  • Give caregivers credit for agency work: Starting on July 1, 2022, IPs will be able to get credit on the wage scale for work at private home care agencies. We’ve been fighting for this victory for years!
  • Include paid holidays: Time and a half for caregivers who work on July 4 and New Year’s Day

We won a better contract because members took action – emails, calls, and social media. Now, we need to do the same to fund the contract in the legislative session and to fight for revenue.

Letter to the Editor by SEIU 775 Caregiver, Laurel Jennings

During this pandemic, thousands of families across Washington are struggling to get by. I know this firsthand because I am one of the people struggling to pay my bills due to the rising cost of living. I’m a long-term caregiver, and if my hours get cut, I still need to provide for my family by putting food on the table and keeping a roof over our heads. Hazard pay has made a huge difference throughout this pandemic, and still a lot of us are taking out loans just to pay our bills.

This is why lawmakers should pass the updated Working Families Tax Credit — HB 1297 – so that families have additional cash to meet all of our needs. The Working Families Tax Credit will provide an extra $500 to $950 each year, which will make it a lot easier to pay our living expenses.

A recovery rebate through HB 1297 would go a long way with me. Flexible cash for us working families would provide help to the families like mine get by during this difficult time. This is why I urge lawmakers to deliver this relief to families. Pass HB 1297, the updated Working Families Tax Credit.

Read in The Everett Herald.

Letter to the Editor by SEIU 775 Caregiver, Barb McQueen

I’ve been an in-home caregiver since I was 17 years old, and I am now past the age when most people retire. At the beginning of this pandemic, our lawmakers called caregivers like me essential, and across the state we worked to keep our clients out of hospitals overrun with COVID-19 patients. And while we do this essential work, we’re also the ones who are paying outrageous taxes; way more than our fair share compared to our wealthy neighbors.  

I’ve kept working, caring for my client who also lives in Sequim, all through this pandemic. I have to keep working just to make my bills every month, all while also paying 5 times more of my income in taxes than the mega-wealthy in our state. It’s these few individuals in our state who’ve profited extraordinarily during the pandemic and its long past time they paid their fair share as those of us who worry about buying groceries or paying for a medication.   

I thank Senator Kevin Van De Wege for supporting the working people of Sequim, like me, by voting to add a capital gains tax on extraordinary profits (SB 5096) and strongly urge Representatives Mike Chapman and Steve Tharinger to pass it also. We deserve an economy and a tax system which works for everyone, not just the wealthy. 

Read in the Peninsula Daily News

Letter to the Editor by SEIU 775 Caregiver Julie Sparkman

I was drawn to Spokane for of its hometown feel and because I thought it was a place where a positive life was possible. Although I’ve never had any negative interactions with our police, I am shocked to hear that Spokane has one of the deadliest police forces in the country, ranking third nationally in the rate of police killings by population. (https://mappingpoliceviolence.org/compare-police-departments)

Our Legislature is discussing bills right now that would stop police forces from buying and using dangerous and costly military equipment, like tanks and shoulder rockets (ESHB 1054). I strongly urge Sen. Jeff Holy and Rep. Mike Volz and Rep. Jenny Graham to support this and other common-sense police accountability bills including HB 1310, HB 1267 and SB 5051.

I am a caregiver for two local young people with autism and this year more than any, they could use these funds to get the additional care that’s out of reach. We have serious needs in Spokane for housing, and people are lined up for the food banks. Our taxes should go to give people hope, rather than oppress and endanger them.

I’ve never seen a militarized police force that didn’t use their weapons. Even if I was never personally harmed, I don’t want to support a community that doesn’t help and keep safe all its members. Spokane has the potential to be exactly what it presents itself to be; and that starts with a police force that is accountable to our community.

Read in the Spokesman-Review

Vicki Bickford, SEIU 775 Caregiver, Letter to the Editor in The Columbian

I’m a long-term caregiver, I’m happy to help everyone in our community by paying taxes and I’ve donated more than ever during this pandemic. At the same time, the ultra-wealthy have profited to an unimaginable level from the pandemic, while paying only a fraction of what we do toward our safety net.

We could have that strong community again if everyone in Washington paid their share in taxes. But right now, our taxes are very unfair, with working people like us paying 17 percent of our income in state and local taxes, while the super wealthy only pay 3 percent. Our state’s upside-down tax system is beyond broken. The poor and middle classes shoulder too much of the burden while the rich ignore all the suffering. 

Our broken tax system started long before the pandemic. We must stop sacrificing people, and the safety net we rely on, so that the wealthy can get wealthier. 

One first step is for our lawmakers, Sen. Annette Cleveland and Reps. Sharon Wylie and Monica Stonier, to support the Senate’s capital gains tax (SB 5096). As a long-term caregiver, I urge everyone to make sure the wealthy pay their share of our recovery.

Read the letter in The Columbian