LANSING, Mich. (WILX) – Michigan home care workers and the people they care for will be camping out at the state Capitol from Monday through Wednesday. “Camping for Care” is asking the state Legislature to pass two bills regarding home care workers.
“We’re here because we believe home care workers should have the right to collectively bargain and have the right to higher wages and paid training, and we’ve introduced Senate Bills 790 and 791 to do just that,” said Beth Menz, SEIU Healthcare Vice President.
For home care workers like Erica LaFountain, who has cared for Ricky Johnson for 10 years, these bills would be life-changing.
“Like, when we wrote on the board, ‘What are we fighting for?’ Because we all deserve better welfare, we all deserve everything. A lot of us rely on food stamps and Medicaid. It’s not like a regular job. We didn’t go to college, but we were self-taught, like we had to read books about epilepsy,” LaFountain said.
Other workers say they worry about future generations without the law.
“What happens to the people when we can’t do it anymore? We do this because we love people. This is a job for people who care about people. If we don’t do it, who will? The pay is like nothing,” Nina Myers said.
“This is to pave the way for her if, when she grows up, she wants to get a job in home care where there’s an alternative, benefits and protection,” Michael Ewing said.
Their website can be found here.
To receive the latest local news and weather, subscribe to our News 10 newsletter and YouTube page. Looking to recruit talent or advertise to grow your business? Gray Digital Media provides a one-stop marketing solution. Learn more here.
Copyright 2024 WILX. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.
