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A home care worker from Crosby, Minn., marked a milestone Wednesday when she became the first person known to utilize paid time off that Minnesota home care workers won in their historic first union contract earlier this year.
Francis Hall enjoyed her first paid day off in 15 years.
“We fought so hard to win paid time off in our first contract, and to finally be able to experience what it is like to have a day off without worrying about missing a paycheck is an amazing feeling,” she said.
“After 15 years of facing the reality that thousands of home care workers face by not having paid time off, I can’t put into words how good it feels to know that home care workers will finally have basic provisions like paid time off.”
Hall cares for a client who requires 24-hour care for his spinocerebellar ataxia type 2. He has already outlived the life expectancy told to him by his doctors by five years with the help of home care workers like Hall.
The level of care means that Hall often puts in 18-hour shifts and cannot leave the home for eight to nine days in a row. Before the union contract, she received no paid time off.
The home care workers contract with the State of Minnesota went into effect July 1, with some of the provisions starting immediately and others phasing in over time. The contract, negotiated by SEIU Healthcare Minnesota, guarantees full-time workers up to five days of paid time off after they have worked a minimum of 600 hours. Francis recently reached the 600-hour threshold.
“We know that life for both workers and the people we care for will improve because of paid time off,” Hall said. “When workers are tasked with choosing to go to work ill or lose a day of full pay, they often choose to go to work ill, which creates a negative consequence for all. Too often home care workers quit due to external factors at the cost of quality care for our clients who wish to stay in their homes.
“Along with other parts of our contract, like raising the pay floor and funding training to improve our industry, with PTO now available, we are starting to see what it looks like when we treat home care work as the important job that it is.”
Hall said she planned to enjoy her time off by running errands and having a relaxing dinner, something that normally isn’t a possibility.