What could have been a combative picket line turned out to be a victory celebration for personal care workers on Beacon Hill Tuesday.
Home health care workers from around the state settled on a new contract with the Baker administration last week - and they got what they asked for - a 15 dollar an hour starting wage for their work caring for patients.
The event was originally scheduled to protest Baker but an agreement was reached in time. Worker union leader Veronica Turner rallied the crowd outside the State House Tuesday.
“Our personal care attendants will be the highest paid personal care attendants, home care workers, in the country,” says Turner.
Kindalay Cummings-Akers, a care attendant from Springfield says the raise means workers’ needs were heard:
“15 and hour means we are no longer invisible. We are present.”
The pay boost gives the care workers a 30 cent raise now and a commitment to reach 15 dollars an hour by July of 2018.
