We Did It! Long Island Homecare Workers, Advocates Protect Living Wage Increase!

Photo credit: Jessica Rotkiewicz | Home health care worker Leslie Vasquez, of Valley Stream, will receive a dollar-an-hour increase

1199SEIU members in Long Island’s Nassau County phone banked, emailed, testified and finally they won. On July 26, the County Legislature voted to move forward with the planned increase for the living wage. The increase, effective August 1, raises salaries to $12.50 from $11.50 for all businesses that contract with the county, including homecare agencies. Now thousands of homecare workers and working families will have a little more in their pockets to help make ends meet.

Corporations and homecare agency owners had tried to convince the legislature to cancel the final increase, but the union’s grassroots effort was victorious in the end. 1199SEIU members have proven once again that when they work together in unity, they can win for their patients, their families and their communities.