For over a year, personal care attendants, clients and family members have been coming together to share their stories of what care means to them and how our caregiving system effects us all. These conversations have happened at doorsteps , community dinners, and on Facebook. Last week, workers and caregivers met in Willmar, MN to connect and share their hopes for a stronger long-term care system that respects worker, as well as seniors and people with disabilities. It’s time to take our voices to the Capitol.
Right now, lawmakers are making decisions at the Capitol in St. Paul about the PCA program as well many other issues that effect us and our families. But they will not be making these decision about us without us.
So what is going on?
- Last year, our coalition won earned sick and safe time for workers in Minneapolis and St. Paul that they can use to continue getting paid when they have to miss work for their own or their family’s health. Lawmakers are a debating a proposal that would take these paid sick days away.
- For the last two years, we have been fighting to #PayThePCA by raising the rate that the state pays agencies for PCA services, passing on a raise to home care workers. We continue to see that politicians are not prioritizing this work and are instead trying to cut the budget for services like the PCA program by $500 million.
We are strongest when we are together. We are fighting back to win a raise for PCAs and to protect sick time for thousands of workers.
We also want to hear from you. How do you want to be involved? Who needs to hear your story? What’s going on with your work, your care that people need to hear about? Join our Facebook group, give us a call (651-379-0762), or text us (253-230-1839) to share how you’re doing.
