On April 15, I stood in Lansing alongside fellow home care workers from across the state and our union siblings in SEIU Michigan. We rallied, marched and met face-to-face with lawmakers.
We were there because the people we care for — and the system they depend on — can’t wait any longer.
I’m a home care worker. Every day, I help make it possible for someone to live safely in their own home. To get out of bed, take medication, eat and maintain a sense of dignity and independence. Multiply that by tens of thousands of workers in every corner of this state, and you start to understand what’s at stake.
Home care isn’t some luxury. It’s the backbone of how Michigan cares for its seniors and people with disabilities. But for too long, we’ve been overlooked and ignored.
We took matters into our own hands by winning back our right to collectively bargain in 2024 and voting overwhelmingly to return to our union last fall. Right now, thousands of home care workers are preparing to negotiate our first union contract with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. That contract has the potential to raise standards in a meaningful way, but it’ll only be as strong as the state’s willingness to invest in the workforce behind it.
Too many home care workers are being pushed out of this essential field because we simply can’t afford to stay. Wages are too low. Training, benefits and support are nearly nonexistent. And the policies that are supposed to stabilize this system are underfunded and incomplete.
Our message to state lawmakers is crystal clear.
First, home care providers deserve a raise. We are calling for at least $1 above the minimum wage, on top of the existing wage passthrough. This is essential and skilled labor, but we’re earning wages that don’t reflect the responsibility we carry.
Second, state lawmakers must fully fund training and education for home care providers. Lawmakers passed historic legislation in 2024 (Public Acts 144 and 145) to build a stronger, more sustainable home care infrastructure. Unfortunately, it’s only partially funded, amounting to an empty promise.
We’ve seen what happens when Lansing ignores problems. Just look at our roads. We wait, delay, underfund, and then we pay exponentially more to fix the damage. We can’t do the same thing with home care. When the care economy collapses, you don’t just repair it later. People suffer. Families fall apart. And the cost, both human and economic, is far greater.
Third — and this goes beyond home care — the state Legislature must protect and expand the wage passthrough. Right now, it plays a critical role in keeping care workers in the field, despite the gaps remaining. All care workers, no matter their role or how they’re paid, should receive fair compensation for all hours worked. Anything less creates instability in a system already woefully fragile.
These decisions will mean the difference between a care system that works and one that fails. When care is strong, our communities are strong, and families are supported. When it’s neglected, the consequences ripple across the entire state.
Lansing has a choice to make. Lawmakers can follow through on the commitments they’ve already made and invest in the care Michiganians deserve, or they can continue to underfund it and watch our communities suffer.
We showed up in Lansing on April 15 to make sure that choice is clear. Now it’s time for action.
Erika LaFountain is a home care worker from Jackson and a member of SEIU Healthcare Michigan.
Labor VoicesLabor Voices columns are written on a rotating basis by United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain, Michigan Education Association President and CEO Chandra Madafferi, Northern Midwest Regional Council of Carpenters Executive Secretary-Treasurer Tom Lutz and selected Service Employees International Union members
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Lansing can’t afford to ignore home care workers | Labor Voices
Reporting by Erika LaFountain / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
