Caregivers across Illinois have been fighting and winning with SEIU Healthcare IL IN.

Over the past four years, our union of 40,000 private agency home care workers supporting senior clients has successfully won five increases in the reimbursement rate paid by the Illinois Department on Aging. These victories were made possible by caregivers organizing, speaking out, and demanding better.

This Tentative Agreement finally puts the two most recent increases into your paycheck.

That means higher wages, backpay, and a stronger foundation for future raises.

What This Agreement Delivers

Raises + Backpay

• $18.75/hour retroactive to January 1, 2026 (You should have recently received this spread across multiple checks).
  
• Backpay at $18.00/hour for all of 2025’s Community Program hours upon ratification of this agreement.

Wage Growth

• Step increases based on years of service. See below for full wage scale.
  
• Guaranteed raises as you stay on the job.

Power for Future Increases

• The company must bargain over wages when state funding increases.
  
• Protection to ensure future gains go to caregivers.

More Paid Time

• Trainings paid at your regular rate instead of minimum wage.
  
• Mileage adjusted to $.57/mile but company policy has increased from 15 miles per client per week to 30 miles per client per week if authorized by the care plan.

Stronger Union Rights

• More access to members and new hires.
  
• Better communication and enforcement power.

***See below for article-by-article detailed changes.

---

Ratification Details

Voting begins at 10am Wednesday, April 29th and will end at 5pm on Thursday, April 30th.
Voting Method: Via text message or phone call
Questions? Contact: Southern IL Lead Organizer JoAnn Musgrave at (618) 316-8462 or by email at joann.musgrave@seiuhcil.org

Summary of Tentative Agreement
Service Employees International Union, Healthcare Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Kansas
and
All Ways Caring, Inc.

Below is a summary of the changes to the current Union contract. All other terms of the Union contract are unchanged.

---

Article 4 — Union Security

• Requires Company to send dues to the Union in the first week of the month following the month deductions were made.
  
• Allows employees to authorized dues deduction by electronic authorization.
  
• Requires Company to provide employee information to Union on request.
  
• Requires Company to send new member applications to the Union in the first week of the month after hired.
  
• Requires Company to give the Union access to members at in-person in-service training.
  
  

Article 12 — Vacancies

• Requires Company to post job vacancies on its intranet.

Article 15 — Health and Safety

• Adds reimbursement of up to $25 for annual flu shot.

Article 20 — Wages

• Caregiver wages will be $18.75 retroactive to January 1, 2026.
  
• Wages for Caregivers employed on date of ratification will be $18.00 for all hours worked between January 1, 2025, and December 31, 2025 in the Community Care Program.
  
• CNA: On execution of the Agreement, wage rate for CNAs will be $20.75 per hour spent performing CNA duties.
  
• Community Support Specialist for Veteran Warriors: On execution of the Agreement, wage rate will be $20.00 per hour.
  
• Licensed Practical Nurse: On execution of the Agreement, wage rate for LPNs will be $30.71 per hour. 
  
• On execution of the Agreement, employees receive a higher wage based on years of service as set forth below.  Employees move to the next higher wage rate on their anniversary. 

Caregiver/CNA

Years of Service	Anniversary Raise	Wage Rate
0-1 year	$0.10	$18.75
1-2 years	$0.10	$18.85
2-3 years	$0.10	$18.95
3-4 years	$0.10	$19.05
4-5 years	$0.10	$19.15
5-6 years	$0.10	$19.25
6-7 years	$0.10	$19.35
7-8 years	$0.10	$19.45
8-9 years	$0.10	$19.55
9-10 years	$0.10	$19.65
10-11 years	$0.10	$19.75
11-12 years	$0.10	$19.85
12-13 years	$0.10	$19.95
13-14 years	$0.10	$20.05
14-15 years	$0.10	$20.15
15-16 years	$0.15	$20.25
16-17 years	$0.15	$20.40
17-18 years	$0.15	$20.55
18-19 years	$0.15	$20.70
19-20 years	$0.15	$20.85
20-21 years	$0.15	$21.00
21-22 years	$0.15	$21.15
22-23 years	$0.15	$21.30

Proportional LPN Increases

Years of Service	Anniversary Raise	Wage Rate
0-1 year		$30.71
1-2 years	$0.17	$30.88
2-3 years	$0.17	$31.05
3-4 years	$0.17	$31.22
4-5 years	$0.17	$31.39
5-6 years	$0.17	$31.56
6-7 years	$0.17	$31.73
7-8 years	$0.17	$31.90
8-9 years	$0.17	$32.07
9-10 years	$0.17	$32.24
10-11 years	$0.17	$32.41
11-12 years	$0.17	$32.58
12-13 years	$0.17	$32.75
13-14 years	$0.17	$32.92
14-15 years	$0.17	$33.09
15-16 years	$0.17	$33.26
16-17 years	$0.26	$33.52
17-18 years	$0.26	$33.78
18-19 years	$0.26	$34.03
19-20 years	$0.26	$34.29
20-21 years	$0.26	$34.54
21-22 years	$0.26	$34.80
22-23 years	$0.26	$35.06

• Eliminates $1.00 premium for weekend shifts starting at 5 pm Friday and ending at 12 am on Monday.
  
• Eliminates premium for shifts lasting two (2) hours or less.
  
• Increases multi-client care shifts (“Couple Rate”) to $20.50/hour (private pay clients).
  
• After new-hire trainings, Employees will be paid at their regular hourly rate of pay (not minimum wage) for annual trainings required by the Company.
  
• Requires Companys to give notice and negotiate with the Union over any additional increases, premium locations, shift differentials, and incentives.
  
• Requires Company to bargain over wages and benefits whenever State reimbursement rates increase.

Article 21 — Travel

• Requires Company to pay employees for qualified off-duty time.
  
• Changes mileage reimbursement rate to $.57 per mile.  (Company policy has increased from 15 miles per client per week to 30 miles per client per week if authorized by the plan of care).

Article 28 — Duration of Agreement

• January 1, 2026, through December 31, 2029*

*Any future changes to the state reimbursement rate during this period will allow either party to open the agreement to negotiate wage and benefit increases.