Wash. State Home Care Workers Expected to Get $14/Hour Wage
Washington State home care workers tentatively agreed on a two-year contract with the state that will pay them an average of $14 an hour.
The September 5 agreement still must be ratified by the members of SEIU Healthcare 775NW, the union that represents approximately 33,000 home care workers in Washington, and funded by the state legislature.
The contract would also include more paid time off as well as a “modest initial defined-contribution retirement benefit,” an SEIU statement said.
If enacted, the contract would set entry-level wages for home care workers at $12 an hour, with the most experienced workers eligible to earn up to $15.40.
Gov. Jay Inslee (D) is hoping to settle the contract, along with nearly two dozen other labor contracts, by October 1, the Olympian reported.
Earlier this year, 775NW was among numerous organizations that successfully advocated for a $15 minimum wage in Seattle, which will begin to be phased in in 2017.
“The state this year recognized that caregivers should not be required to take a vow of poverty to do their jobs,” said 775NW Secretary Treasurer Adam Glickman.
— by Matthew Ozga
