Missouri Union Achieves Higher Wage For Home Care Workers

Following a statewide campaign to raise the minimum wage, the Missouri Home Care Union announced Monday it had reached a deal with state negotiators to raise the wage for its home health workers. 

The collective bargaining agreement set home health care attendants’ wage between $8.50 and $10.15 an hour, less than the $11 proposed minimum wage, but still considered a victory, the St. Louis Business Journal reports

Attendants who work on holidays will get a $3 per hour wage increase.

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On average, Missouri’s union home health care workers make $8.60 an hour, with Medicaid usually providing the funding. 

Previously, reports argued that even an increase to $11 an hour wouldn’t be sufficient for the Missouri Home Care Union’s 13,000 members. 

The Missouri Legislature appropriates $15.56 an hour from the state’s Medicaid program for the vendors who pay the home health care attendants. That means each vendor keeps $6.96 — nearly 45% — of the money it gets for an attendant.

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Despite some views, the Business Journal says the bump in pay is a move in the right direction.  

The deal was reached late Friday night with representatives of Missouri Quality Home Care Council, which is a state board comprised of care recipients, provider reps and members of state panels focused on aging.

To read the full St. Louis Business Journal report, click here

Written by Emily Study