SEIU 775 exists to transform long-term care work from poverty-wage jobs into respected, well-compensated professions. When the union was founded in 2002, caregivers earned minimum wage with no benefits and no respect on the job. Today, by uniting more than 60,000 long-term care workers across Washington, Montana, and Alaska, SEIU 775 has doubled caregiver wages - and experienced members earn even more, averaging over $20 per hour in 2022. But wages are only the beginning. The union has won affordable healthcare, the first-in-the-nation retirement benefit for home care workers, paid family leave, and protections that let caregivers do their vital work with dignity.
The caregiving workforce is overwhelmingly women and disproportionately women of color, immigrants, and those from communities with the least access to power. SEIU 775 recognizes that supporting home care workers means supporting entire families and communities. The union continues fighting at the bargaining table and in the legislature for healthcare coverage that includes caregivers' children, increased retirement contributions, and wages reaching $21 to $25 per hour. Because when caregivers can support themselves and their families, the people they care for can live with dignity too - and that's the world SEIU 775 is building.