More than 300 Nevada home care workers recently voted to unionize, reports SEIU Local 1107, the state’s largest healthcare and public service union.
Workers across three Las Vegas agencies voted in favor of joining the service employees’ union. They bring the union’s total number of home care workers to more than thirteen hundred.
The additions follow advocates' successful push for a wage increase to $16 per hour, which took effect last year.
Additionally, data from the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services suggests the sector is improving generally. Over the four months following the wage increase, some fifteen hundred people joined the home care workforce. Retention has also improved.
Despite the improvements, labor advocates say more needs to be done. According to independent research, Nevada’s home care industry ranks as the 5th worst in the nation for worker availability.
The union plans to push for a $20 per hour minimum wage during the current state legislative session.
