What a joyous celebration today brings—Michigan home care workers are on the brink of winning back their union rights!
I’m proud to say that today the Michigan House of Representatives voted YES on Senate Bills 790 and 791. This comes after the bills were passed earlier this year in the Senate — a moment that gave us momentum. Once signed by the governor, these pieces of legislation will give home care workers the ability to organize, have a collective voice on the job, and advocate for better care. Care jobs must be good union jobs with pay and benefits that reflect the value of our work, allowing us to better care for ourselves, our families, and our communities.
And how wonderful it is to be a part of this fight, standing strong with my siblings in home care! Earlier this year, when home care workers like myself set a path to win back collective bargaining rights, we knew there were challenges to overcome. Our jobs can be isolating when you don’t have co-workers to laugh and enjoy the day with, and you feel forgotten when your work never stops and there’s no one to share your struggles with. With our union, all that can change.
I've been a caregiver for over 20 years. I was in this career when our union rights were taken away in 2012, and I’m proud to still be in this work as part of a community of workers, including those in disability care, who fought to win back those rights.
The work we do ensures people can stay at home and be cared for with dignity. Our family members—adults and children—will always need our help to live a quality life. We are professionals and we deserve to live with the same dignity we provide for our clients.
In the past, I cared for a woman with stomach cancer and her husband who needed total assistance with mobility. At the time they lived with their teenage grandson. The care I provided included bathing, cleaning, cooking, serving meals, running errands, and assisting with going to the bathroom. Despite the couple needing continuous help with such basic needs, I worked less than 30 hours a month, only making about $13/hour, and when I wasn’t there, their young grandson had to step in. No grandbaby should have to give up their childhood to be a full-time caregiver.
The passage of Senate Bills 790 and 791 will change Michigan home care for the better. It’s only when workers, community members, and elected officials like State Senators Hertel and Santana, who sponsored the bills, join together to fight for good care jobs — better wages, time off, good benefits, and our right to organize — that we'll see an end to this care crisis.
Join me in celebrating this victory today! Share our win on social media and with your family and friends! And if you have a loved one who works in care, let them know we're building power across the country, and we WILL win unions for all, especially for home care workers!
