The Zayan/ActiveCare Bargaining Committee is proud to present a Tentative Agreement that represents a meaningful step forward for caregivers.

This contract reopener reflects real progress, made possible by the strength and unity of hundreds of Zayan/ActiveCare caregivers standing together in our Union.

In Spring 2025, thousands of home care workers across Illinois took action with SEIU and won tens of millions in state funding to support wage increases in 2026. Our next step was ensuring that funding went directly into caregivers’ paychecks and that’s exactly what your bargaining committee achieved at the table.

Below are highlights of what we won, how you can vote to ratify these wins and followed by the detailed contract language for updated articles.

Bargaining Committee: Janan Daaboul, Issa Makhamre, Nijma Abdel Halim, Nisrein Shehab, Nujood Mohammad Al Suhaim, Huda Abdelnabi, Iradah Jadallah, Farha Binyamin, Laura Neira, Sharelle Russell-Amos, Faezeh Gerami, Juanita Trevino, Haneen Obaid, Hinna Abuhasna, Jeanette Arteaga

Ratification Details: Members can vote via text message, or by calling Zayan SEIU Representative Molly Ricci at 773-750-5259 (for voting in Spanish or English) or Ola Aldibbiat at 773-290-4895 (for voting in Arabic). Voting closes Thursday, April 9th at 5:00pm.

Economics — New Raise & Higher Minimum Pay Rate

• The minimum wage rate for all employees will be increased to $19/hour.
  
• Employees currently earning less than $21/hour will receive a $1/hour increase to their December 2025 wage rate.
  
• Employees currently earning $21/hour or more will receive a $0.50 per hour increase to their December 2025 wage rate.
  
• All employees will continue to receive the $0.25 annual seniority increases on their anniversary date, now extending through a sixth year of employment.

Note: If ratified by the full membership, the company will implement these wage increases as soon as possible. All increases will be retroactive to January 1, 2026, covering all hours worked since that date. The company agrees to calculate and issue all retroactive pay within 90 days of implementation.

Employees who previously received a $0.75 increase to $18.75 per hour will receive an additional $0.25 increase to reach $19.00 per hour, along with retroactive pay for that difference.

Paid Time Off (PTO) — Higher Annual Cap & Any Time Cashout

• All employees may now accrue up to 70 hours of annual paid leave, increased from the previous cap of 60 hours.
• All employees may choose to cash out accrued leave hours at any time, provided they are an active employee.

Grievance Article Adjustment

If a grievance filed by the Union proceeds to arbitration, as defined in the Grievance Article, the costs of arbitration will be shared equally between the Employer and the Union, rather than being borne entirely by the losing party.

FULL AGREEMENT BELOW

Tentative Agreement Between Zayan LLC dba ActiveCare and SEIU Healthcare Illinois

Article 26 – REOPENER

The Company and the Union agree that if at any time during the life of this Agreement the Company’s Community Care Program Homemaker rate or Department of Human Services-Office of Rehabilitation Home Service Program Homemaker Rate changes to an amount greater than its current rate of $30.80 effective 1/1/2026 then the Union or the Company may, upon written notice to the other, reopen this Agreement for the sole purpose of negotiating wages and benefits. If this Agreement is so reopened, all other provisions of this Agreement shall remain in full force and effect.

Either the Union or the Company may, upon written notice to the other, reopen this agreement should the receipt of the “enhanced rate’ for health insurance be ended, delayed or rejected by the Illinois Department on Aging.

Article 21 – WAGES

Section 1: Maintenance of Standards

No employee during the term of this Agreement shall suffer any reduction in their hourly rate of pay. Any raises granted more than contractually required minimum rates shall be part of the employee’s contractual rate of pay and shall not reduce the employee’s eligibility for any subsequent contractually required raises. This provision shall not apply to any temporary premiums, merit, bonus or incentive programs established under Section 2 of this article.

Section 2: Future Increases and Spot Incentives

The parties agree that the Company may provide pay increases/designate premium locations/implement shift differentials, and spot incentives, etc., as required by business necessity. The Company agrees to provide two weeks’ notice to the Union of any such permanent increase greater than $1.50/hour, except spot incentives, and to meet in good faith with the Union regarding such increases prior to implementation. Spot incentives shall be defined as immediate offers of bonus payments of under $250 offered to incentivize an employee to accept a shift or assignment.

Section 3: Minimum Wage Rates

Effective January 1^st, 2026, the minimum wage rate for all employees is $19.00 an hour.

Section 5: Longevity Increases

Employees shall receive an annual pay increase of $0.25 per hour on their anniversary date of employment, effective each year up to and including their sixth (6^th) year of service. These increases shall be automatic and applied to the employee’s regular hourly rate, provided the employee remains in good standing with the Company.

Section 6: Across the Board Raise

All employees making less than $21 per hour will see their base pay increase by $1.00 per hour on January 1^st, 2026. All employees making $21 or greater will receive a $.50 per hour increase on January 1^st, 2026.

Article 23 – PAID LEAVE BENEFIT

Section 1: Benefit

Paid leave may be used by the employee for any purpose. Paid leave under this Article shall accrue at the rate of 1.25 hours for every 40 hours worked. Employees may accrue up to 70 hours of Paid Leave annually.

The 12-month period is defined as anniversary date to anniversary date

Employees shall be paid their hourly rate of pay for paid leave. Paid leave under this Article shall begin to accrue on July 1st, 2024. Employees hired on or after July 1, 2024 shall be entitled to begin using accrued paid leave 90 days following commencement of their employment.

Section 2: Scheduling

Paid leave shall be provided upon the oral or written request of an employee in accordance with the Company’s paid leave policy notification requirements:

(1) If use of paid leave is foreseeable, the Company may require the employee to provide 7 calendar days’ notice before the date the leave is to begin.

 (2) If paid leave under is not foreseeable, the employee shall provide such notice as soon as is practicable after the employee is aware of the necessity of the leave. The Company shall not unreasonably deny an employee’s right to take their paid leave.

The Company may not require, as a condition of providing paid leave, the employee search for or find a replacement worker to cover the hours during which the employee takes paid leave. Employees may choose to make-up client hours before or after paid leave is taken but shall not be required to do so as a condition of receiving the paid leave.

Employees shall determine how much paid leave they need to use, however paid leave must be utilized in an increment of no less than 2 hours per day, unless the employee’s scheduled workday is less than 2 hours day, then the employee’s scheduled workday shall be used to determine the amount of paid leave.

Paid time off is not included in the calculation of overtime.

Section 3: Carry-Over

Paid leave accrual shall carry over annually to the extent not used by the employee, however, the Company is not required to provide more than maximum amount of accrued paid leave as specified in Section 1 for any employee in any 12-month period unless the Company agrees to do so.

The Company is required to pay employees for ½ of paid leave accrued under this Article upon the employee’s voluntary separation from employment if two weeks’ notice is provided.  The Company is not required to pay employees for paid leave accrued under this Article if they are terminated for cause.  

Section 4: Cash Out

Employees may cash out upon request available Paid Leave hours while they are active employees.

Section 5: Reporting

The Employer shall make available to employees all paid leave hours accrued on their paycheck stub or pay statement. Employees may also choose to request a written report of such paid leave hours accrued and used.

Section 7: Waiver

The benefits provided by this section are in lieu of any benefits under the Illinois Paid Leave for All Workers Act (820 ILCS 192/1 et seq.), the leave provisions of the Cook County Paid Leave Ordinance (No. 24-0583), and the Chicago Paid Leave and Paid Sick and Safe Leave Ordinance (Chapter 6-130 of the Chicago Municipal Code) (collectively the “Leave Laws”), and any subsequent amendments to the Leave Laws or the Leave Laws’ rules or regulations. The parties further agree that pursuant to the collectively bargained language and consideration herein, all provisions, rights and benefits of the Leave Laws related to such leave are waived. The parties stipulate that this waiver of the requirements under the Leave Laws is clear and unambiguous and shall remain in effect until the execution of a successor agreement.

Article 13 – GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE

Section 5: Arbitration Decision and Costs

The arbitrator will render a decision within thirty (30) calendar days after the hearing. The decision shall be final and binding upon the Employer, the Union and the employees affected, provided that this does not preclude any party to this Agreement from seeking judicial review as provided by law. The costs of the arbitration paid to the arbitrator shall be shared by both parties equally.

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This Tentative Agreement is subject to ratification by the members of SEIU HCII. Except as set forth in this Tentative Agreement, all terms and conditions of the CBA, including all side letters and memoranda of agreement shall remain in full force and in effect.

Upon ratification, the Employer agrees to implement the negotiated wage increases no later than two pay periods or 30 days from the ratification date. Retroactive pay for any wage increases shall be issued no later than 90 calendar days from the first payroll date the new wage increases are implemented.

Upon request by the Employer, the Union will provide technical assistance as needed to help calculate any retroactive pay. The Union and Employer will also schedule time to meet as necessary to address and resolve any issues that arise during the distribution of retroactive pay.