Care Is Infrastructure: SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania President Matthew Yarnell’s statement on Build Back Better moving through the House, Urges Senate to Take it Across the Finish Line
For more information contact: Karen Gownley, 717-805-6070 karen.gownely@seiuhcpa.org or
Jenn Wood, 412-508-6517, jenn@sequalconsulting.com
Matt Yarnell, President of SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania issued the following statement:
“For many months, home care workers have joined with millions of other essential workers and American families to demand Congress pass the Build Back Better Act, which will give all Americans – no matter your zip code, what you look like, or where you’re from – the chance to thrive. The House of Representatives has heard those demands and today we celebrate as this bold initiative was passed by the House and onto the Senate.
“Our home care workforce has been devastated by the pandemic. These caregivers work for poverty wages, often without benefits or any paid time off, allowing people to stay in their homes as they age or are sidetracked by disabilities. Even before the trauma of the pandemic, there was only one home care worker for every eight people needing care at home. Today, few people are willing to risk heartbreak, exposure, and physical, mental and emotional toll when even Target offers $15.00/hour.
“With Pennsylvania’s senior population growing at a rate twenty times higher than the national average, and an increase for the need of home and community-based services to care for those with disabilities, the Build Back Better Act will help ensure everyone can get care when they need it, by:
- Moving caregivers out of poverty;
- Creating more home care jobs;
- Giving home care workers the choice to join together in a union and collectively bargain for better wages, benefits, training, and working conditions, and
- Ensuring taxpayer dollars go towards good-paying jobs that provide quality, affordable care for families who need it.
“Since the pandemic, billionaire’s wealth has grown by an unconscionable 62% while American families struggle. The Build Back Better Act will help all Americans by investing in affordable childcare, a cleaner environment, education, and affordable housing, paving the way for families to not just survive, but thrive.
“The Senate must take this once-in-a-generation opportunity to begin unrigging the rules of our economy and bring Build Back Better across the finish line.”
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SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania is the state’s largest and fastest-growing union of nurses and healthcare workers, uniting nearly 45,000 nurses, professional and technical employees, direct care workers, and service employees in hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, home- and community-based services, and state facilities across the Commonwealth. SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania members are committed to improving the lives of health care workers and ensuring quality care and healthy communities for all Pennsylvanians