Turnover, Low Wages Plague Human Service Field, Activist Coalition Says
By Catherine Williams
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE
STATE HOUSE, BOSTON, FEB. 12, 2008…Low wages are driving health care workers from jobs caring for the elderly, at-risk youth and the mentally disabled, human service worker advocates said Tuesday during a gathering of lawmakers and labor representatives.
Advocates said high turnover rates plague the field because workers are underpaid and over-burdened. The solution to keep workers in jobs and increase the quality of care is to increase state money for private agencies to use for salaries and benefits, said Phil Johnston, co-chair of the "Workers' Rights Board," a coalition of labor advocates.
For disabled people, the lack of consistent care can lead to aggressive behavior and slowed moves toward independent living, according to advocates and family members of the disabled.
Mark Nasjleti said that once he had a steady care worker in his life, he lost 133 pounds and began to lead a healthier lifestyle. Nasjleti, who is developmentally disabled, has worked with the same health care worker for five years and has founded his own Springfield-based advocacy group for people with disabilities called Go Voice for Choice.
"Everyone has a right to know how bad turnover is for people with disabilities," said Nasjleti.
For FayeRuth Fisher, worker turnover meant lower quality of care for her older brother Sam Fisher, who is developmentally disabled and living in a group home in Watertown. Fisher said her brother had to move to three different group homes because of poor quality care.
"We must insure that people have high quality jobs, so people like Sam don't suffer," said FayeRuth Fisher.
Representatives from the Campaign for Quality Human Services, a coalition of workers from 34 private service agencies, argue that wage increases will improve the quality of care for people who rely on caseworkers who help people with day-to-day tasks including shopping for groceries, job counseling and medical assistance.
"As long as wages are stagnant in this import line of work, then service is sacrificed," said Rep. Denise Provost (D-Somerville).
The Workers' Board hosted the meeting Tuesday and is pushing for a line-item increase in the budget to fund wage increases at provider organizations that run group homes for disabled and the elderly, said Johnston.
"The political leadership of this state has ignored this issue for decades," said Johnston, the former state secretary of health and human services and former chairman of the Massachusetts Democratic Party.
Johnston said that he is "shocked" that wages for private agency workers have remained flat since 1991, a period marked by Democratic control of the Legislature and Republican control of the governor's office until last year, when Gov. Deval Patrick took office. With all of the competition for money this year in what state finance officials have called a tight budget year, a budget increase request will be tough, he said.
Private health care workers often leap to higher paying jobs, said Rep. Robert Spellane (D-Worcester), who added the challenge facing the industry is how to attract, train and retain health care workers.
"If you can make more money flipping burgers than you can caring for people, then there's a problem with that," said Spellane.
The hearing came a couple of hours before House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi outlined his plan to use taxes, spending cuts and reforms, and one-time revenues to close a $1.3 billion gap between projected spending and revenues in the fiscal year that begins July 1.
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