Sunday, Sept. 10, 2023 | 2 a.m.
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I provide home care for a wonderful woman in her 80s, and every day she expresses her appreciation. We’ve bonded deeply and she says she would be lost without me. And yet, for my essential work, I get paid just $11.50 per hour.
Poverty-level wages have not only hurt home care workers but have also made it increasingly difficult for seniors and people with disabilities to find caregivers. This crisis spurred me and my fellow home care workers to start mobilizing a few years ago, and together we won a historic $16 minimum wage and 42% funding increase in the latest state budget. And recently, over 1,000 caregivers across Nevada have voted or are heading toward union elections in one of the biggest organizing drives in recent history, so we have a united voice to keep fixing the broken system. Our movement reflects the wider, soaring support for unions among working Americans throughout the country.
I’ve been a home care worker for over 20 years. During that time, I’ve cared for dozens of clients, enabling them to live at home with health and comfort, instead of being sent to a nursing home. I’ve helped them get out of bed in the morning, bathe and get dressed. I’ve taken them to doctor appointments and reminded them to take their medications on time.
With my current client, I do her grocery shopping, pick up prescriptions and cook her nourishing meals. But I also do much more. I provide a listening ear. Oftentimes, our clients have no other people in their lives to look in on them, and home care workers are their only companions to stave off loneliness and depression.
Despite my vital role and years of dedication, I can barely make a living. Because of my low wages, I have to rely on Medicaid for my health care. I don’t have a single paid day off. Sometimes my electric bill is almost $400, eating up my income. I’m 69 years old and have no retirement savings at all. Even though I have to use my car to run errands for my client, I don’t get any reimbursement for mileage. The stress from my miserable financial situation is constant and chronic.
I’ve often worried that I will have to work until the day I die.
There are 13,000 home care workers in Nevada, most of whom receive wages of around $11 an hour and are facing the same struggles. Some are long-time caregivers and some are family members who’ve had to quit their jobs to care for an ailing parent, child with disabilities or other loved one. But few people can afford to enter or stay in this profession, which has created an extreme workforce shortage in both rural and urban areas.
At the same time, our state’s population is aging much faster than the rest of the country, and soon we’ll have half a million Nevadans over the age of 65. The vast majority of seniors would strongly prefer to age in their own homes, leading to soaring demand for services.
That’s why home care workers — who are majority women and people of color — started organizing and calling for change. We spoke out in the press, on social media, and directly with our state lawmakers to pass the $16 minimum wage and major funding boost, which was signed into law by Gov. Joe Lombardo.
The $16 will be life-changing for caregivers, but much more must be done to improve home care jobs and recruit the workforce that’s needed. Now that we have expanded state funding, we’re determined to make sure our employers spend those resources on better wages and benefits.
That’s why home care workers all over the state have voted by up to 96% to officially form a union in a series of elections at multiple employers. Next up, we’re going to negotiate union contracts with our agencies that raise standards for jobs and care throughout the entire industry.
There used to be a promise in America that if you work hard and contribute positively to society, you would be rewarded with some sense of security. But that promise has been badly broken for working people, especially home care workers.
For so long, I’ve felt weighed down with despair. By winning our union, the $16 minimum wage and higher funding, I’ve been given a sense of dignity and empowerment that has eased my burden. Now, I have renewed hope that together we can continue elevating the home care profession so that seniors and people with disabilities receive the compassionate care they deserve.
Debra Loving is a long-time home care worker who lives in Las Vegas and is a member leader of her union, SEIU Local 1107.
