By Joelle Fishman
June 9, 2023
HARTFORD, CT – Striking group home and day program caregivers marked week two of their strike against poverty with a rally at Emanuel Lutheran Church, followed by a march to the State Capitol, as Nobel prize winning economist Paul Stiglitz issued a statement of support indicating that the strike is gaining national attention.
The members of SEIU 1199 NE rallied with allies for a moral budget that ends poverty for long-term care workers and expands lifesaving services. A few days earlier 57 caregivers and supporters staged a civil disobedience in the street outside the Capitol to get the urgency of their message across.
“We’ve started a movement for racial and economic justice for long-term care workers, and expanding services to save lives,” said president Rob Baril.
“Why are we even here? Why do we have to do this? Why are we fighting for group home workers, and nursing home workers, and home care workers?” he asked. “We’re fighting to make sure that publicly funded workers with our tax dollars are provided with a wage that keeps people from being evicted, from living in their cars, from carrying thousands of dollars in medical debt.” read more