Direct Care Workers Help Get 37 Congressional Signatures on Letter to Labor Secretary Solis

Jenn Craigue

Last month I visited Washington, DC, along with other members of the Direct Care Alliance board, graduates of the DCA’s first Voices Institute class, and  other DCA staff and allies. We introduced ourselves to legislators and their staff and to asked for two things– and one of them has already happened.

One of our two main “asks” was that the legislators sign a Dear Colleague letter. The DCA worked with the House Labor and Working Families Caucus to circulate the letter, which asked U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis to change the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) to include home care workers.

The Dear Colleague letter was sponsored by the three co-chairs of the Caucus: Representatives Linda Sánchez, Michael Michaud, and Stephen Lynch. They sent it to their colleagues in the House just before we got there, asking them to sign it. In our visits, we also urged members of Congress to sign. The final letter (PDF) went to Secretary Solis last week.

I was a direct care worker for 10 years. Unfortunately I became disabled so I can’t work anymore, but I am still a direct care worker advocate, and a member of the Direct Care Alliance board. The thing about the DCA that amazes me is that not only do we have workers taking on leadership roles, but the people there who work in other professions really believe in the importance of direct care workers and the incredible work they do.

Our visit to Capitol Hill was a historic moment because this was the first time we direct care workers and our allies helped Congress send an important message to the U.S. Department of Labor about how home care workers need basic overtime and minimum wage protections.

As Representative Sánchez told us afterward: “I felt it was necessary to alert Secretary Solis to this issue for home care workers, who are the heart of our nation’s long-term care system. It is absurd and disheartening that home care workers can go years and years without the right to a minimum wage, a raise, or even overtime pay. Home care workers should have the same basic wage protections as other service workers.”

In a press release about the letter, Rep. Sánchez said: “Home care workers are the backbone of our nation’s long-term care system, providing essential care and daily living services to more than 15 million Americans. However, these are among the worst-paying jobs in America – mostly because of Department of Labor regulations that exclude them from federal minimum wage and overtime protections.”

We saw nearly 50 legislators or their staff in DC last month. A lot of the visits were wonderful because the representatives or their staff were receptive to what we had to say. Even when they didn’t seem too interested in our issues, they were always eager to hear the workers’ point of view.

As for the Dear Colleague letter, I am excited to say that 37 members of Congress, including House Education and Labor Committee Chair George Miller and Congressional Hispanic Caucus Health Chair Nydia Velasquez, signed the final version that went to Secretary Solis on May 20.

Great job, DCA!

Jennifer Craigue
Board member
Direct Care Alliance