Our elected statewide bargaining team at Help at Home in Illinois just reached a Tentative Agreement with management for our new raises that we won in the state budget!

Thanks to our hard work in Springfield and at the bargaining table, Help at Home home care aides will receive their hard-won raises just in time for the holiday season, along with other important improvements.

Here’s what we won:

• $.73 raise retro to August 1st, 2017. Our raises & retro will be implemented on our Dec 15th paychecks. The raise is based on the wage rate we earned on 6/30/17.
• Increase to $1.77 for our Health Fund contributions.
• Paid sick time for all workers covered by the Cook County Ordinance.
• Travel Time paid at local minimum wage effective Nov 1st, 2017.
• Other improvements including vacation eligibility being based on anniversary date.

This is a huge victory for home care aides at Help at Home who, along with other home care aides across Illinois who are united in our union, have fought for years to win the rate increase in Springfield that made our raises possible. Our Help at Home bargaining team fought hard and refused to take NO for an answer from management. When we stick together in our union, we have real power and this new agreement is another testament to that fact.

The next step is for Help at Home home care aides to vote to ratify the new agreement so our raises can be implemented. Stay tuned for voting instructions.