Home healthcare workers in Nevada are calling on state lawmakers to raise the profession’s minimum wage to 20 dollars an hour, improve in-person training, and increase the number of allowable client service hours.
Labor leaders with Service Employees International Union Local 1107 – the state’s largest healthcare union – met with lawmakers this week at Springs Preserve in Las Vegas to unveil upcoming legislative agenda.
According to a report from the American Association of Retired Persons, Nevada ranked 45th in the nation for long-term care in 2023 in areas such as affordability, safety, and family caregiver support.
It has led to poor retention and working conditions for Nevada’s 14,000-plus homecare worker industry.
Dawn Ralenkotter, 55, is a union leadership member and has been a homecare worker for more than 20 years. She says raises, along with improved working conditions, will help workers stay in the profession and, in turn, improve clients’ well-being.
“We need to keep people on board because there’s so many people that need help," said Ralenkotter.
"There’s a shortage, and if we can get people on board and they get the pay they deserve, they’ll maybe stay and people can stay in their own homes."
The proposals build on previous legislative efforts, including raising the minimum wage for home care workers to around 16 dollars, increasing the Medicaid reimbursement rate, and creating the Nevada Home Care Employment Standards Board in 2021.
Lawmakers hope to introduce the new measures in the 2025 Nevada Legislative Session.
