Seattle City Wire

Resolution to Support Fair Pay for Human Services Workers

On June 20, my Council colleagues passed a resolutionthat I sponsored, declaring the Council’s intent to consider funding equitable wage increases for human services workers to address the city’s staffing crisis.  The resolution also requests that public funders and private philanthropy produce recommendations to collectively address wage equity before Council’s budget deliberations this fall.

This action stems from recent University of Washington research, which found nonprofit human services workers are paid 37 percent less than workers in other industries, despite the fact their work is not easier, not less skilled, nor less demanding. Those who leave human services for other work get a seven percent increase in net pay, within just a year of leaving.

It is impossible to end our homelessness emergency without fully staffing and fairly paying human services work. These workers are on the streets every day helping people in their hour of greatest need. We rely on them to tackle the city’s biggest crises, from homelessness to hunger, childcare and elder care.  Throughout our consideration of human services wages, we heard public testimony that cuts to the heart of why we must address worker wages with urgency.

• YouthCare testified they struggle to meet the needs of the youth they serve because their nearly 200 staff are working double shifts and second jobs, and are still one unexpected expense away from financial crisis
• Senior Center of West Seattle is increasingly on the frontlines of serving folks experiencing homelessness who wander in. They testified that unfilled positions lead to long waits for help, putting the staff and seniors they serve in a very difficult position.
• Multiple childcare classrooms – including some desperately needed for infants – are going empty because nonprofits can’t find staff to work for such low wages.
• Amanda, a human services worker with 14 years of experience, testified she still must take on a second job – in food services – to afford to work in this field.
• King County quickly purchased 10 hotels/apartment buildings to house people living unsheltered during the pandemic – but couldn’t open half of them due to workforce shortages.
• The King County Regional Homelessness Authority has repeatedly told us that among its five largest contracted organizations, there are more than 300 vacant positions.

The resolution passed this week acknowledges the Council’s responsibility to work toward wage equity for nonprofit human services workers. It creates a roadmap to do that by, among other things, recognizing the recommendations made in the UW wage equity study, requesting recommendations from private and public funders to make progress on wage equity collectively, and stating the Council’s intent to consider recommendations increasing HSD-administered contracts by seven percent by 2025 to increase wages for human services workers.

The resolution also makes clear that, if made, these wage equity adjustments will be in addition to the inflationary adjustments required under City law.

Original source can be found here.