Bellingham caregivers authorize strike if wage, staffing concerns go unmet
A group of Bellingham caregivers supporting adults with disabilities voted to authorize a strike at their organization if their requests for higher wages, better staffing and improved training are not met.
The caregivers work for Evergreen Supported Living, a local nonprofit that has provided in-home support services to adults with developmental disabilities in Bellingham since it was established in 1982.
Represented by their union, SEIU 775, the caregivers are expressing concerns about worker conditions and understaffing threatening quality of care for Evergreen clients.
“I love working with the clients — the most rewarding thing is building rapport, doing what you can to make their day better,” Evergreen caregiver Bryce Squires said in an announcement about the possible strike. “Understaffing, low pay, inadequate training and an inability to have a say in our workplace is driving high turnover and threatening the quality of care our clients receive.”
“Providing timely repositioning, hygiene, or medication is important to our clients’ health and wellbeing, but when we don’t get the support from management that we ask for, it puts our clients at risk. It’s critical that there are sufficient numbers of well-trained staff to ensure clients’ safety, and protect their physical health and mental wellbeing,” Evergreen caregiver Abigail Ott said.
Evergreen staff launched a petition asking members of the public and local businesses to sign on in support.
“Every day we do essential, challenging work that requires compassion, skill and commitment. But Evergreen management is refusing to provide the training, staffing and respect we need to do our jobs safely and well,” the petition states.
The Bellingham City Council also sent a letter to Evergreen Executive Director Zay McShane and Board President Kathleen Uusitalo, urging management to continue bargaining with caregivers.
“It is critical that Evergreen Supported Living avoid a strike and provide safe, uninterrupted care to its Bellingham clients with disabilities and special needs,” the letter states. “As you continue to negotiate, we encourage all parties to proceed with a commitment to bargaining for the common good that is predicated on high-quality care for our city’s vulnerable residents and respect for hard-working caregivers. This can be accomplished with improved employee retention, adequate training, safe staffing levels, and competitive pay and benefits for Evergreen Supported Living’s care workers.”
McShane told The Herald that the letter from the city, along with the actions from caregivers, came as a bit of a surprise as management has tried to work with staff to address their concerns.
McShane said Evergreen is a leader in wages and benefits for its caregivers, but is largely limited in the raises it can offer because its sole source of revenue is through a contract with the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services, whose rates are determined by the state legislature.
“With other industries, they can raise prices,” McShane told The Herald. “We have the contract we have, and the legislature determines those rates. So there is a ceiling we can’t go through.”
Still, McShane said Evergreen pays 5% higher than the state average. He said Evergreen offered a 1% increase in caregiver wages, but that had to come at the cost of eliminating two positions.
“When we’re being asked to pay more, it’s really challenging for us because we pay more than 90% of our revenue to wages and benefits,” McShane said.
The wage scale for Evergreen caregivers ranges from $21.12 to $24.49 per hour, depending on the number of years of experience, according to McShane. He said Evergreen also pays more than $1,000 per month per staff member for health insurance. Dental and vision insurance are completely covered, he said.
“We want to do the right thing. We want to be fair and pay people,” McShane said. “If I could pay the people the top living wage in Bellingham, I would do it. But we don’t have the revenue for that because the legislature determines it.”
Evergreen Supported Living employs 30 people and currently serves eight clients.
This story was originally published September 24, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
