skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Mother's Day Wishes for WA's Congressional Moms

play audio
Play

Wednesday, May 8, 2013   

SPOKANE, Wash. - A group of home-care workers is wishing a happy Mother's Day to the moms in the Washington congressional delegation - with a twist. It's part of a national effort to show support for immigration reform.

On Tuesday, Reps. Cathy McMorris Rogers and Jaime Herrera-Beutler received their cards and a visit from members of "Caring Across Generations." A Spokane home-care worker, Valerie Anderson-Webb, said she spoke with McMorris Rogers a few years ago about the congresswoman's concerns about providing workers a path to citizenship.

"Now, we are appealing to her as a mother that has children," she said. "Four years ago, she wasn't there. I think now, she's at least thinking about it."

The Mother's Day cards urge members of Congress to remember other moms in the state, and to ensure that the legalization process is fair to women, family members and low-wage workers. Cards are also being delivered this week to Sens. Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray.

Anderson-Webb said she doesn't see immigrants competing for current citizens' jobs. Instead, she said, there's a caregiving shortage that's expected to worsen as the population ages. She said many immigrants already provide home-care services for Washingtonians with disabilities and the elderly.

"I believe that everyone's created equal," she said. "I really don't think that they're 'illegal' - because a lot of these people are contributing to society; they're paying taxes as well as us. And there's not enough caregivers to go around."

Anderson-Webb said that in her union, SEIU Healthcare 775 Northwest, members speak 50 different languages. Among their priorities are living wages and creating a career ladder that allows home-care workers to train and transition into careers such as nursing and social work.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

Social Issues

play sound

A 2023 study from the University of Nebraska Medical Center concluded the number of Nebraskans with a mental health or substance abuse disorder has pr…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021