Contact: April Ezzell, 1199SEIU | Phone (716)449-1620

Who: Congressman Brian Higgins
Peter De Jesus Jr, President of the Western New York Area Labor Federation
Robert Weintraub, a local resident who relies on home care for his family
Linda Wilson, a local home care worker & member of 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers

What: Due to the aging baby boomer population, the U.S. will need to fill an estimated 4.7 million home care jobs, including over one million new jobs, by 2028.

The House Ways and Means Committee, on which Congressman Higgins serves, begins a series of hearings on the reconciliation bill for the Build Back Better Plan on September 9th.

Congressman Higgins, local workers and families will discuss the need for the package to include investments that support the care economy.

Bryan O'Malley, Executive Director of the Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Association of New York State, said, "The need for an investment into home care has never been greater, and nowhere is that need more apparent than in Western New York. While New York has the largest shortage of home care workers in the nation, Western New York has been the epicenter of the crisis within the state for the past decade. We are thrilled to stand with Congressman Higgins to make sure that Better Care Better Jobs is included in the reconciliation package and we can finally begin to address this crisis by ensuring home care workers no longer need to work for poverty level wages."

Where: 1199SEIU Buffalo Regional Office
2421 Main Street, Suite 100

When: 2:00PM – Tuesday, September 7, 2021