Economics of Caring Improving Population Health by Valuing Care Workers: Proceedings of a Workshop (2023) / Chapter Skim
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4 Exploring Policy Strategies and Innovations
4 Exploring Policy Strategies and Innovations
Pages 17-26
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From page 17... ...
This is a health equity issue." Chang shared two examples from her foundation's work to improve the lives of care workers: support for programs to strengthen child care entrepreneurship and a partnership with the California Domestic Workers Coalition, which organizes workers to advocate for policy change. As an example, she shared that San Francisco recently passed an ordinance, the first of its kind in the country, that creates a portable paid sick leave benefit for domestic workers.
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From page 18... ...
She stated that the Build Back Better Act provides an opportunity to make progress on these issues by addressing the need for affordable child care, paid family and medical leave, universal pre-Kindergarten, home and community based services. Kalipeni briefly described the work of the Family Values @ Work network, which works in 27 states conducting grassroots organizing to change the culture of how Americans care for one another, and reiterated the theme that care work is not simply an individual responsibility, but requires societal attention.
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From page 19... ...
Boteach stated that the care workforce has been decimated since February 2020, with one in ten fewer child care workers, and one in eight fewer nursing and residential care facility workers than in pre-pandemic times. The workforce crisis is being exacerbated by somewhat higher or rising wages in retail, as well, with growing numbers of care workers leaving the field for better paying, but less societally important work.
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From page 20... ...
Chang asked why investing in care workers' economic security and mobility and their overall health and well-being is critical to improving heath overall, and how health sector leaders could further the policies that would help achieve those linked goals. Kalipeni shared how the lack of valuing care and caregiving leads to intergenerational cycles of poverty, where a parent works double shifts to make ends meet and care for their own children while being unable to save for retirement, and in turn presenting an economic challenge to their adult children.
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From page 21... ...
Sims agreed with all previous remarks and added that in her family's experience, it was her mother's union job that ended the need for public assistance and contributed to economic dignity and stability that allowed her mother to become engaged in school and other civic activities. Responding to the question about how the health sector could support care workers, Boteach noted that the Build Back Better Act had health care advocates at the table with housing, economic, racial and gender justice advocates.
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From page 22... ...
Sims also mentioned that the licensing requirements for child care providers pose financial and other barriers to child care providers opening centers or homes to provide services, so her organization is reviewing those barriers. The conversation about sustainability sometimes misses the important point that care economy policies have broad support across the country, Kalipeni asserted.
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From page 23... ...
Chang shared an audience question on countering the scarcity nar rative. Sims said that the success in Washington State's increase of the state minimum wage was later used to help pass paid family medical leave.
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From page 24... ...
Responding to both questions, Sims invited viewers to look for the Washington State Labor Council timeline of labor history that is instructive about the scope of what is possible. She asserted that allowing child care workers to unionize is the best approach to moving toward a sustainable public investment in child care and care work.
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From page 25... ...
Kashen shared the tcf.org website of her organization and said that the pandemic has shown people that their lives touch each other in so many ways and expressed the hope that people can join in the fight for policies that will support a vibrant care economy. PREPUBLICATION COPY -- Uncorrected Proofs
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From page 26... ...
PREPUBLICATION COPY -- Uncorrected Proofs
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