JOBS - Home Care Workers Wages

"Why home care workers struggle with low wages" PBS Newshour 3/16/2015

Because money-before-people Republicans will block any attempt for fair wages.

Excerpt

SUMMARY:  With most aging Americans wanting to stay in their own homes, the need for in-home caregivers is skyrocketing.  But unlike most other jobs, there's no federal guarantee that these workers get minimum wage or overtime.  Special correspondent Kathleen McCleery reports on the challenge of getting care that’s reasonably priced while still paying caretakers a living wage.

GWEN IFILL (NewsHour):  We now turn to another in our occasional series on long-term care.

As Americans age, most prefer to stay in their own homes and get help when needed with the basics of daily living.  A nationwide campaign kicked off last week calling attention to the jobs and the wages of home care workers.

Special correspondent Kathleen McCleery reports.

OLA MAE JONES:  Good morning.

THERESA KING:  Good morning.

It’s a passion job, so it takes a lot of patience, a lot of kindness.

KATHLEEN MCCLEERY (NewsHour):  In Long Beach, California, Theresa King cares for 88-year-old Ola Mae Jones, who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease.

THERESA KING:  I’m cooking you some fish.

KATHLEEN MCCLEERY:  From cooking, to cleaning, to comfort.

THERESA KING:  Don’t you love me, huh?

KATHLEEN MCCLEERY:  The job is physically demanding and emotionally draining.  King makes $9.70 cents an hour, almost exactly the average for the nation’s two million home care workers.

THERESA KING (singing):  I want to shout about it.

KATHLEEN MCCLEERY:  About 90 percent are women.  Half are people of color.  Like King, many don’t work full-time and don’t get benefits.  She qualifies for food stamps and says, on her income, she can’t afford some basic necessities.