Washington State Nursing Home Workers Rally for Better Jobs
Washington nursing home workers held a rally in Olympia and spoke to lawmakers about better jobs and better care on February 27.
More than 70 nursing home workers affiliated with SEIU Healthcare 775NW gathered for the event.
Jackson Holtz, spokesman for SEIU 775NW, told the Murrow News Service that it was important for state lawmakers to hear the workers’ voices.
“It’s to everybody’s benefit — the residents and the workers — that we have a good relationship with the lawmakers and that we’re able to come here and have lawmakers hear from the workers directly,” he said.
According to the PHI State Data Center, Washington’s nursing homes, orderlies, and attendants earned a median hourly wage of $13.02 in 2011.
Workers were paid for their day in Olympia, as per the terms of their union contract, Holtz said.
— by Matthew Ozga
