I’m proud of the work that my wife does as a home care worker taking care of some of our communities’ most vulnerable senior citizens and people with developmental disabilities. It’s hard work that requires compassion, and our state saves a lot of money by paying for in-home care instead of much more expensive nursing homes or other facilities.
Unfortunately, the state pays poverty-level wages that make it hard to set aside anything for retirement. An agreement reached last year for a new home care workers’ contract changed that, with a 23 cent per hour contribution to a retirement trust fund, but the budget proposal by state Senate Republicans specifically states that it “does not contain contributions for a retirement benefit.” This violates the trust that caregivers like me put into an agreement arrived at in good faith.
Home care workers like me are holding up our end of the deal, working hard and saving the state money. Now it’s time for Olympia to honor the state’s agreement and help home care workers retire with dignity.
Marq Goldberg
Vancouver
