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Care worker unions press for $24–$25 floor, warn of staffing collapse without higher pay
Summary
SEIU locals, home care workers and labor groups urged passage of legislation establishing an enhanced care‑worker minimum wage (Senate Bill 877) and other rate‑setting changes, saying vacancy rates remain high and recruitment will fail without a living wage and rate adjustments for providers.
Unions representing direct‑care and home‑care workers told the Joint Committee on Health Care Financing that improved wages are essential to recruit and retain the workforce that supports elders and people with disabilities.
Why this matters: Witnesses linked vacancies and turnover to inadequate pay, and urged the committee to require a wage floor for care workers and to ensure MassHealth/provider rates allow employers to meet that floor.
Daniel Hoffer of SEIU Local 509, which…
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