Letter: Legislators should support living wage for caregivers
I am one of thousands of caregivers here in southeast Washington that provide quality care to vulnerable seniors and people with disabilities. We do important work that helps them live independently in their own homes so they don’t have to be in expensive nursing homes. This both helps them live with dignity and saves the state money.
But we are paid poverty wages, and many of us don’t even get paid for all the hours we work.
Our legislators are deciding whether to fund our new contract, which will increase wages for home care aides to $15/hour over the next few years. We won’t get rich, but at least we’ll be able to support ourselves and our families.
Our legislators should support us and the people we care for.
Charles Sargent, Kennewick
This story was originally published February 24, 2017 at 3:55 AM with the headline "Letter: Legislators should support living wage for caregivers."