COVID-19 hazard pay for health care workers doesn’t include non-union employees, some nurses at long-term care facilities in Massachusetts

MassLive.com

The hazard pay agreement between Massachusetts and several unions means higher compensation for some of the health care workers on the front lines of the COVID-19 response, but non-union workers are ineligible for those benefits.

The agreement, which took effect Sunday and continues until May 30, adds between $5 or $10 an hour for employees working at 24-7 operations, including hospitals, group homes, consumer/family visits and Soldiers’ Homes.

Employees who have not missed a regular shift since March 10, the date Gov. Charlie Baker declared a state of emergency, are also eligible for a $500 bonus.

A spokesperson for the Executive Office of Health and Human Services confirmed the agreement was reached with several unions representing state health care workers.

“Our employees are on the front-line of the state’s response to this unprecedented public health crisis and their work is essential and valued, and we look forward to continuing to work together to mitigate the impact of COVID-19," the spokesperson wrote.

The benefits do not apply to unionized health care employees who are working remotely.

Nor do they cover non-union employees, managers and contracted workers or hospital workers at some nonprofit hospitals affiliated with the public sector, such as UMass Memorial Medical Center.

Peter MacKinnon, president of SEIU Local 509, said hazard pay supports mental health professionals, social workers helping at-risk families and those serving people with developmental disabilities.

“In the days ahead, Local 509 will demand private sector human service agencies follow the state’s example and provide desperately needed hazard pay for members working around the clock to care for our most vulnerable community members,” MacKinnon wrote in a statement.

Yet not all workers at state-run facilities can qualify for hazard pay, either due to the agreement or existing regulations. David Coppins, co-founder and CEO of the Quincy-based staffing agency, IntelyCare, said he can’t issue hazard pay to the contractors he employs at nursing homes because those facilities cannot exceed the current cap on pay rates for temporary nursing services.

“So they either sit on the sidelines or they go to Rhode Island and make $21 or $22 an hour,” said Coppins, whose company operates in Massachusetts, Rhode Island and eight other states.

IntelyCare employs roughly 3,000 certified nursing assistants, registered nurses and licensed practical nurses in Massachusetts, Coppins said. Those who take jobs at assisted living facilities are eligible for hazard pay, but he said the rate cap has prevented nursing homes from filling jobs that are crucial to protect residents during COVID-19.

“There are a few rogue ones that are out there. There’s one that says, ‘we’ll just pay you under the table, come work for us and I’ll give you a check out of our system,’” Coppins said. “They’re that desperate. Everyone is trying to figure out how to get help.”

Coppins has asked HHS to temporarily lift the cap on temporary nursing services so those who work at nursing homes can get a rate increase during the pandemic, even if they’re not represented by the unions, to help address the shortage of workers at long-term care facilities.

Last week, the Baker administration announced an $800 million investment in the state’s health care sector. About half went to hospitals and covered a 20% rate increase for COVID-19 care, as well as a 7.5% rate increase for other hospital care across the board.

Another $80 million was set aside for nursing facilities with $30 million of that set aside for COVID-19 treatment.