Social workers unite! Fair Pay for Home Care Our country’s pop

Social Workers Unite for Fair Pay for Home Care

January 24, 2023
7:00 – 8:00 PM Eastern Time (US & Canada)

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DESCRIPTION OF EVENT

We, the NY Caring Majority, “…is a movement of seniors, people with disabilities, family caregivers, and home care workers. We are fighting for affordable home care and fair pay for home care workers in New York” (NY Caring Majority, n.d.). Since the aging population will increase by 42.2% in New York State by 2040 the need for home care is and will become a social issue that has far-reaching consequences. Based on PHI’s estimate, there will be around 800,000 vacant jobs to be filled for home health and personal care aides from 2016 until 2026. Home care workers are paid less than $14/hour, which is one of the main reasons these vacant jobs are challenging to fill. Nationally, home care for two individuals equals the cost of one person living in a nursing home.

The New York Times Best Seller “Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother’s Will to Survive” by Stepanie Land and the National Domestic Workers Alliance (e.g. nannies, professional cleaners, and home care workers) outlines the fight for the Federal Domestic Workers Bill of Rights. This Bill “… would provide domestic workers from harassment and discrimination, paid leave, and other basic workplace protections for care workers” (Thirteen.org, 10/7/22, 7:20 min.). Domestic workers have not received equal benefits as have other workers since the passing of the New Deal, such as “…social security, overtime protection, access to retirement, etc.” (Thirteen.org, 10/7/22, 17:09). Another policy change they are trying to accomplish is an increase in wages, since most domestic workers’ average wage is less than $15,000 in comparison to the average wage for most professions being slightly less than $40,000. Workers can earn equal or higher wages at Home Depot or McDonald’s. Lastly, 82% of domestic workers are not given any sick days

The issue of Fair Pay for Home Health Aides especially relates to women’s rights and particularly women of color. The majority of Home Health Aides are women/women of color who are paid subminimum wage and more often than not are unpaid workers who care for family members. These individuals – due to the emotional, physical, and time needed to provide in-home care – have to leave their paid employment to provide care to loved ones. This example illustrates how anti-oppressive practices are needed to address an issue that contributes to the further economic oppression of women and the unequal power dynamics can result in the destruction of family systems as well as increased vulnerability to domestic violence.

The intersectionality of oppression of home care workers affects not just women, but the LGBTQ+ community, and people from various racial and ethnic identities. When someone enters another’s home and holds discriminatory attitudes toward that person’s identity, it can lead to both subversive and overt abuse. This is totally unacceptable and against all that social work stands for. It is difficult to prove micro-aggressions, yet they can ultimately be just as damaging as physical abuse. It becomes a matter of one person’s word against another’s.

According to NPR (2021), home care is provided by over 2 million home health aides nationwide and is projected to become one of the most in-demand job positions within the next 10 years in comparison to other professions. Currently, the number of Americans ages 65 and older is projected to increase from 54 million to at least 95 million by 2060 and -with the aging baby boomer generation – this estimate is most likely conservative.

As these numbers illustrate, home care matters not just to the disabled population, but is a basic need that 70% of adults over 65 years old may possess. The policies of Medicaid and Medicare regarding home health aides’ reimbursement result in aides being paid minimum wage with no opportunity for financial or career advancements. By keeping individuals living in their homes instead of a nursing home, the cost of care would be kept lower due to nursing salaries far exceeding that of a home health aide. Source: Home Health Care Aides Are In Short Supply : NPR

As stated by the New York Caring Majority (n.d.), “…New York State’s population of people over 80 will grow by 42.2%…” by 2040. Since the majority of people want to age in their home approximately 70% of New Yorkers will be in need of home care at one point in their lives. The average wage of a home care worker is below $14/hour without benefits (e.g. health care, etc.), which is not a great selling point in trying to fill the projected 800,000 job openings in the home care field. That is why we, the NY Caring Majority, have been taking up the fight for wage increases for home care workers with our Fair Pay for Home Care campaign. We need every New Yorker to take action by emailing their representatives about Fair Pay for Home Care and by adding your name to our regional Home Care Waitlist. Please use this form: http:/ bit.ly/FairPayNow. Source: NY Caring Majority

PARTICIPANTS

Renee Christian is an advocate, friend and mother, as well as a business owner. She was born with Cerebral Palsy which causes her to need a wheelchair in her day-to-day life. Her disability did not stop her, but encouraged her to start a business where she can use her insight and perspective on life to help others to overcome their fears, discover and value their selves and live happier and healthier lives. https://spectrumlocalnews.com/nys/buffalo/politics/2022/08/16/western-ny-advocates-ramp-up-push-for-fair-pay-for-home-care-bill

Julia Solow – Lead NY Caring Majority Organizer and Hand in Hand Domestic Employers Network. She first got involved in movement work when social work professors in college introduced her to immigrant rights leaders fighting for the DREAM Act in 2010. Since then, Julia has been organizing in solidarity with working class people of color-led movements and power organizations on efforts to address gentrification, living wages for farm workers and drivers licenses for undocumented immigrants in New York State, among others. Prior to her work at Hand-In-Hand, she had the privilege of working at AFL-CIO National Headquarters in DC, Community Voices Heard in New York and as an Americorps VISTA in Cleveland, Ohio.

Janine Hunt-Jackson has a Master’s in social work from Syracuse University, a Ph.D. in Social Policy from the University of Buffalo and is a CSW. She has been involved in protests with ADAPT; in 1994 she participated in helping to block the Rochester Bus Terminal to protest the purchase of inaccessible buses. She also went to D.C. several times in support of in-home health workers. Other social activism she is passionate about are: Civil Rights, BLM, Women’s Rights, and Voting Rights.

Melinda Jones became interested in Fair Pay for Home Care due to her personal experience with this health care crisis. When she became disabled after graduating from SUNY Brockport with her bachelor’s degree in social work, she was in need of home care. Her boyfriend became her caretaker since none of her medical providers informed her about the option of home care. The shifting power dynamics in their relationship resulted in Melinda being subjected to emotional and physical abuse. Once a social worker told her about home care services, she tried to obtain them with great difficulty due to high turnover rates resulting from the low pay and lack of benefits these positions provide.

Heather Gomez is a DSW student at Tulane University and a member of SWAA’s National Steering Committee. . Prior to entering social work, she received her MA Political Science, where she was the co-author of a statewide study examining the livelihood of domestic workers in Colorado. Presently, she oversees the case management program in 15 states for a national health-related nonprofit. “I’ve seen both sides of the coin—the underpaid workers who are otherwise “invisible,” and the people who desperately need reliable care support on a shoestring budget.”