Caring Across Generations: Ambitious, Bold, and Necessary

Every eight seconds, an American turns 65.  By 2040, an estimated 27 million Americans will need direct care services.  Currently, the direct care workforce is approximately 3 million workers.  The gap between the care that is needed and the current workforce could present a social crisis of immense proportions.  As a nation, we have yet to take collective responsibility for providing a dignified quality of life for our elders.

At the same time, we are faced with one of the most severe economic downturns in decades. Millions of jobs have disappeared without hope of returning.  Many economists agree that in order to achieve a sustainable economic recovery, we need to create eleven million jobs.

In recent years, members of National Domestic Workers Alliance (NDWA) began asking for more training in skills related to caring for the elderly.  Many workers who were originally hired as housekeepers or nannies were being called upon to provide care for the aging relatives of their employers.  NDWA realized that, given the shifting generational demographics of the country and the aging baby boomer population, their members’ current experiences were just the beginning.

In order to care for our country’s aging population, we must ensure that families are able to afford quality direct care, that direct care workers have fair and safe working conditions, and that workers have access to the appropriate training, career advancement, and citizenship.

Caring Across Generations is a campaign created by the National Domestic Workers Alliance to address the pending direct care crisis. Jobs with Justice is excited to be co-leading on this innovative new campaign with NDWA along with partners at AFSCME, SEIU, and the Direct Care Alliance.  The goal of the campaign is to organize and transform the direct care industry through public policy and an organizing strategy.

A portion of the Caring Across Generation campaign will including drafting and proposing a piece of legislation aimed at Caring for the aging and respecting & educating our direct care workforce.  This bold proposal includes: job creation, establishment of a career ladder to train and certify domestic workers and other workers, a new visa category, establishment of labor standards for direct care and domestic workers, and a means to support families who will need to provide this care to their loved ones.

NDWA has selected 18 cities across the country to be focal points for the campaign.  In 11 of these cities, Jobs with Justice will help to convene the coalition of direct care workers, elder advocates, women’s organizations, unions and disability advocates, communities of faith, youth and students in an intergenerational, cross-sector campaign to seize the current crossroads of opportunity: the urgent need for care, and momentum toward job creation, legalization and workforce development.

On May 3rd, the Steering Committee of the Caring Across Generations Campaign met at the AFL-CIO in Washington DC.  The room was filled with over 85 people from more than 60 organizations including unions, disability groups, and community groups.

Speakers included Van Jones, Gihan Perera of the Miami Workers Center and New Majority, Dean Baker of the Center for Economic and Policy Research, a Representative from the Congressional Committee on Aging, and Andy Imparado and Liz Weiss from the office of Senator Harkin, chair of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, & Pensions.  Panelists provided meeting attendees some political context and grounded attendees in realities and opportunities of the moment.

The campaign is building momentum as we work towards the public launch of the campaign with the first Care Congress in Washington, DC on July 12th.  Local Care Congresses are being planned by JwJ coalitions, NDWA member organizations, and disability rights groups for later this year.

Too often, we underestimate the power of caring.  The smallest act of caring has the potential to impact someone’s life.  Without a sense of caring there can be no sense of community. The Caring Across Generations Campaign aims to create the transformative change that is need to avert a potential crisis and to provide care to those who need it.