Senate OKs bill to nearly double home care workers' pay [View all]

Illinois senators narrowly approved a bill Tuesday to nearly double wages paid to home care workers in the state’s Community Care Program.

Under Senate Bill 3511, home care worker wages would jump from about $10.98 an hour to $19.89 an hour on July 1. Wages would continue to climb by $1 an hour per year until they reached $24.69 in 2021.

Sen. Mattie Hunter, D-Chicago said the workers supply home care to 100,000 seniors, allowing them to remain out of nursing homes and in their own homes. The Service Employees International Union, which represents the workers, said low wages for home care workers leads to high turnover among home care workers.

Sen. Jim Oberweis, R-Sugar Grove, said the bill will cost the state $800 million a year that it doesn’t have.

Read more: http://www.sj-r.com/news/20180424/senate-oks-bill-to-nearly-double-home-care-workers-pay