Hartford, CT – This past Saturday, June 3, striking long-term care workers and SEIU 1199 New England union members rallied at the at the State Capitol building in Hartford. The nearly 2000 striking workers are demanding a pathway to $25 per hour, affordable healthcare and a pension that allows workers to retire.

The striking workers marched along the sidewalk in front of the capitol building with SEIU 1199 yellow and purple flags and signs that read, “On strike, be fair to those who care,” while the city traffic honked horns in support of the strikers.

The minimum wage for long-term care workers is currently at $17.25 per hour, a wage that has not kept pace with the current price increases.

“When you figure in for inflation, the $17.25 is less than what we were making 20 years ago, and we weren’t making anything 20 years ago either,” said longtime SEIU 1199 union member Clark Peters.

Because of low wages and little to no benefits, some long-term care workers are working more than 60 hours a week just to make ends meet.

The state is sitting on a $3.1 billion surplus for the year according to the CT Mirror. Representatives are expected to approve the states biennial budget on June 7.

The long-term care workers are expecting $400 million in additional Medicaid funding to be allocated to their field of work.

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