UNI Global Union\u2019s Care affiliates around the world have long been calling for governments to introduce safe staffing regulations in nursing homes and long-term care settings. In a landmark move hailed as a \u201chistoric moment\u201d by care workers and patient advocates alike, the Biden-Harris administration did just that. The U.S. government has enacted sweeping reforms to improve the quality of nursing home care across the country.<\/p>\r\n
The new rules come after years of campaigning by members of UNI affiliate SEIU. They establish nursing home minimum staffing standards to promote better quality care and to enhance worker safety. They also advance fair compensation for care workers. A group of investors on behalf of UNI\u2019s Investor Initiative for Responsible Care, a coalition of more than 150 investors with $4.4 trillion in assets under management, wrote to the Biden-Harris administration expressing support for these new staffing standards.<\/p>\r\n
SEIU International President Mary Kay Henry welcomed the rules change saying:<\/p>\r\n
\r\n\u201cThe Biden-Harris administration has taken a major step toward strengthening our long-term care workforce, ensuring quality care for those who need it and helping every family thrive. The correlation between job quality and equal access to care is clear, and both rules are fundamental to transforming care jobs into sustainable, sought-after careers. Care workers \u2013 the majority of whom are women of colour \u2013 have been underpaid and undervalued for generations due to a legacy of racism and sexism. These rules are also major investments in an essential workforce that has been historically left behind.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n
This U.S. initiative reflects a growing international consensus on the need for safe staffing regulations, as similar measures have been introduced in Ontario, Canada and Australia. The global rallying cry, \u201cRatios save lives\u201d encapsulates the urgent need for such standards, which aim to prevent the high staff turnover, poor occupational health outcomes and sub-optimal care that can result from under-staffing.<\/p>\r\n