Letitia James, Jumaane Williams, 1199, AARP, Seniors & Disabled NYers Launch “Fair Pay for Home Care” to End Home Care Crisis

By Jessel Thomas First Posted: Dec 16, 2021 06:50 PM EST

Attorney General Letitia James, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, 1199 members, AARP, seniors, disabled New Yorkers, and home care workers today launched the Fair Pay for Home Care Campaign to end the state's worst-in-the-nation home care shortage by raising home care wages through the Fair Pay for Home Care Act (S5374, A6329). Speakers released new data from the CUNY Graduate Center revealing the Fair Pay for Home Care Act will create jobs for over a quarter of a million women, including 181,000 for women of color, across New York State. The New York City press conference kicked off a series of campaign launches around the state this week, with public events in New York City, Hudson Valley, Syracuse, Schoharie County & Long Island.

(Photo: Joshua Rashaad McFadden/Getty Images)

At the launch, the New York Caring Majority released new data from the CUNY Graduate Center on the effect of the Fair Pay for Home Care Act on women and people of color in New York State. New York's home care workforce is currently 91% female and 77% people of color.

Key findings include:

The Fair Pay for Home Care Act would create over a quarter of a million new jobs for women over the next decade
The Fair Pay for Home Care Act would create 181,000 new jobs for women of color over the next decade
The Act, which will raise home care wages and wipe out the home care shortage, would provide fair wages to 351,000 women who are currently home care workers, including 288,000 women of color.

Facing low pay and irregular hours, 57% of New York State home care workers currently receive public assistance, and 49% live in or near poverty.

Read the full CUNY Graduate Center data analysis here.

Research has found low wages are the single largest driving factor causing New York's worst-in-the-nation home care shortage. With New York's 65+ population slated to grow 25% in the next 20 years, the current workforce shortage is projected to increase exponentially: New York will have more than 600,000 home care job openings by 2026. Additionally, research has found that recovering Covid patients have fared far better in home care than nursing homes. The Fair Pay for Home Care Act currently has bipartisan support in both houses, with 79 sponsors in the Assembly and 33 sponsors in the Senate. If passed, the state would see increased revenue totaling $5.4 billion through job creation and moving home care workers off of social assistance.

"Home care workers are unsung heroes who worked around the clock during the darkest days of the pandemic to provide care and comfort for our most vulnerable," said New York Attorney General Letitia James. "Despite their tireless work, these New Yorkers - primarily women and women of color - are chronically underpaid and undervalued. It's time we treat them with the same respect and dignity they generously offer our seniors and our most vulnerable by passing the Fair Pay for Home Care Act. Our way out of this pandemic and our path to economic recovery depends on it."

"Our budget is a reflection of our values," said Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams. "The current home care crisis in New York State has left home care workers with near-poverty pay and led seniors and people with disabilities to forgo the care they need. Albany must include Fair Pay for Home Care in the year's budget so that workers can receive fair wages, providers can ensure the best possible care, and more future home care workers join the industry. The pandemic has shown how critical it is to be able to receive high-quality care in our homes, and laid bare the state's failure to support the people doing that work - as we recover from the pandemic, we can't allow this crisis to continue."

"The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on nursing homes has only revealed how important the home care industry is for our loved ones. Yet, our state continues to underinvest in our home care industry and workers, resulting in New York facing the worst home care shortage in the nation. This is absolutely unacceptable, especially as our aging population continues to grow and many nursing homes remain an unsafe option for our elderly. New York has a responsibility to tackle our dangerous home care shortage by investing in home care workers and passing the Fair Pay for Home Care Art this legislative session. We must invest in these essential workers, and ensure that we do all that we can to keep our state's elderly and disabled population safe," said State Senator Alessandra Biaggi.

"Just like healthcare, just like childcare - the ability to be cared for as a senior in the familiarity and comfort of your own home is not a commodity. By treating it as such, we have allowed the market to drive wages for this critical work to such a low, that now nearly 20% of home care positions are unfilled," says State Senator Jessica Ramos. "The Fair Pay for Home Care Act raises wages, generates more revenue than it costs, and would address the staffing shortage in five years. 2022 is the year we value care work in our Legislative Session," said State Senator Jessica Ramos.

"Our elders and people living with disabilities deserve to receive the care they need at home. But right now, New York is facing a dangerous and costly home care crisis. We must pass the Fair Pay for Home Care Act to raise the wages of the home care workforce and create hundreds of thousands of new, quality home care jobs," said State Senator Julia Salazar.

"Home care workers provide such critically important services, from day-to-day care for aging New Yorkers and people with disabilities, but they also have the dubious distinction of being some of our state's lowest paid workers," said Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal. "These workers take on an incredibly difficult and tiring job to help our loved ones - it's time we pay them what they deserve. Passing Fair Pay for Home Care next session will ensure a living wage for current workers, will help bring dedicated people back to this profession and create better outcomes for New Yorkers in need."

"As a health care worker and as a caregiver to a relative receiving home health services, I completely understand the need for fair pay standards for home health aides. These largely-immigrant, women of color work long hours, providing quality care for seniors and the disabled, with inadequate pay to support their families. We need to pass A6329 to ensure that all home health aides are given the wages that they need and deserve to survive." said Assemblymember Karines Reyes.

"New York is facing one of the worst shortages in home care workers, threatening the ability of older New Yorkers and New Yorkers with disabilities to age in place and achieve a measure of independence. To address the problem, we need to focus on improving conditions for workers in the industry so we can attract excellent candidates into this important field and reverse the trend of skilled workers leaving this sector. Home care workers need fair pay for every hour worked and strong protections now," said Assemblymember Harvey Epstein.

"The coronavirus pandemic has exposed what many of us have known for so long to be true. Our healthcare delivery system continues to leave so many of our most vulnerable New Yorkers without care, including older adults and people living with disabilities. These are our partners, our parents, and our loved ones. We must invest in care for these New Yorkers, which means we must pass fair pay for home care. This is an economic justice, gender justice, and racial justice imperative. I call on my colleagues to support this campaign and look forward to getting it done next session," said Assemblymember Jessica Gonzàlez-Rojas.

"Our city is facing a crisis: there are simply not enough home care workers to ensure our growing senior population can age in place while receiving the expert medical support and sustaining care they need," Assemblymember Yuh-Line Niou said. "That's because we've asked care workers to provide these essential services for poverty wages. There is no reason why over half of home care workers are forced to rely on state assistance programs like SNAP to keep their families fed. One in four workers are living below the poverty line, making a median salary of $24,000. This is unacceptable. A living wage is not too much to ask for the New Yorkers who continue to make sure our city can be a welcoming home for all, regardless of age or disability. They deserve pay for the full 24 hours, including potential overtime. Additionally, we must create a State task force to create and implement guidelines to properly stabilize the home care sector and ensure quality care and livelihoods for both our patients and caretakers," said Assemblymember Yuh-line Niou.

"We represent over 60,000 home care workers in New York State. We are fighting here in New York State to make sure that people have a right to live independently in their homes; people with disabilities, our mothers, our fathers, our grandparents. Home care workers save lives. But They cannot be home care workers if they cannot pay their rent," said 1199 Executive Vice President Rona Shapiro. "If you want your loved ones to be taken care of, if you don't want to be sent to a nursing home, pay the workers what they deserve."

"AARP strongly believes that older New Yorkers who require long term care just be given the opportunity to stay in their homes, which is what the vast majority of these New Yorkers want, where they're happier, and where home care can be delivered more efficiently and more affordably. Prioritizing these long term care services also means we have to ensure there are enough personnel to provide it. Unfortunately home care workers and in short supply due to low wages and scant benefits. The quality and the access to this care is all too often diminished by this shortage. AARP is proud to support this bill and we look forward to working with you throughout this session," said Kevin Jones, AARP Associate State Director of Advocacy.

"Home care workers enable thousands of older adults and people living with disability the ability to safely age in place with the necessary support," said Allison Nickerson, Executive Director at LiveOn NY. "However, home care workers are greatly underappreciated and underpaid creating a growing unmet need for home care across New York State. To truly create a caring economy that supports us all, we must start with paying all home care workers a just livable and competitive wage."

"United Neighborhood Houses is thrilled to stand in support of the Fair Pay for Home Care Campaign. Our nonprofit settlement house members who provide home care services know that neighborhoods are stronger when we lift up our workers' voices. For too long, the State of New York has unfairly pit home care workers and employers against one another, when in reality the root of systematic injustice stems from long-standing State policies and funding mechanisms that have perpetuated near-poverty wages," said Susan Stamler, Executive Director of United Neighborhood Houses. "Because the Fair Pay for Home Care bill targets Medicaid rates, nonprofit providers, workers, and home care recipients will all be able to benefit from more livable wages. Thank you to the Caring Majority, Senator May, Assemblymember Gottfried, and all the legislators who are supporting the fight for Fair Pay."

"There is a long history of labor organizing in New York City, much of it led by immigrant women - young Jewish women like Clara Lemlich, and the thousands of immigrant women of color who make up the majority of today's homecare workforce and are organizing alongside older adults and disabled people to demand fair pay for their essential work. JFREJ is proud to be part of the Caring Majority coalition and to carry on the legacy of Jewish Left labor organizing in this city," said Rachel McCullough, JFREJ Political Director.

Attendees at the press conference to launch the "Fair Pay for Home Care" campaign included Attorney General Letitia James, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, State Senator Brad Hoylman, State Senator Alessandra Biaggi, State Senator Jabari Brisport, State Senator Jessica Ramos, State Senator Julia Salazar, Assemblymember Harvey Epstein, Assemblymember Jessica González-Rojas, Lead Sponsor & Assemblymember Richard N. Gottfried, Assemblymember Yuh-Line Niou, Assemblymember Karines Reyes, Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon, 1199 Executive Vice President Rona Shapiro, Cooperative Home Care Associates, New York Caring Majority, LiveOn NY, Center for Independence of the Disabled NY, United Neighborhood Houses, New York City Chapter of United Spinal Association, Chinese-American Planning Council, Inc., LiveOn NY, Jews for Racial and Economic Justice, Hand-in-Hand, Brooklyn Center for Independence, ADAPT - Downstate NY, and New York seniors, disabled people, and home care workers.