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Trump imposes 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum; 80% of Montanans oppose reduced workers' rights; Lawmaker says dismantling Education Dept. would harm Oregon schools; Harm reduction efforts fall short for Black men in Indiana.

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President Donald Trump approves 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum. Democrats who oppose dismantling the agency have been denied access to the Department of Education. And some places buck policy trends on sex education and immigration.

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Medical debt, which tops $90 billion has an outsized impact on rural communities, a new photography book shares the story of 5,000 schools built for Black students between 1912 and 1937, and anti-hunger advocates champion SNAP.

WA nursing home workers get White House boost in union struggle

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Wednesday, July 24, 2024   

Nursing home workers in Washington state have come back from the White House with renewed resolve to fight for their union contract. A delegation of SEIU members was in Washington, D.C., last week to meet with the Biden-Harris administration.

Gurnesh Chetty, medications manager for Aegis Ravenna in Seattle and is a member of SEIU 775, said members of the administration encouraged him to file a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board over contract negotiations with his employer.

"Even we were told that a lot of big corporations like Aegis, what they do is, they intentionally start letting go of employees that do support the union or want a union," Chetty said.

Chetty and his coworkers voted to form a union in March 2023, but the union has yet to secure its first contract. A spokesperson for Aegis Living says its objective is to "foster a strong and unified team environment," and that it's proud of its 2,700 employees serving 2,500 residents.

Chetty said working at Aegis can be stressful, which is why workers formed a union.

"We've been understaffed," he said. "We've been asking for more staffing, better pay, better retention of employees. People work there about three to six months and they end up leaving, because the employees aren't taken care of."

Chetty added retention is especially important in a nursing home setting.

"Once you form a relationship with the resident and then, you know exactly what they want, you know exactly what time they prefer things, it makes it better and easier and convenient for them, where they're happier," he continued.

Disclosure: SEIU 775 contributes to our fund for reporting on Budget Policy & Priorities, Health Issues, Livable Wages/Working Families. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.


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