Filipino caregivers win settlement vs. employers

SAN FRANCISCO – On International Human Rights Day, Filipino caregivers and their advocates held a press conference at the Filipino Community Center (FCC) to announce a major victory.

Victoria Aquino, 65, and Lourdes Torres, 56, won a settlement against their employer, Parks Family Rest Home, of $71,000 in back wages and penalties.

Aquino and Torres received their checks from Marci Seville, Director of the Women’s Employment Rights Clinic (WERC), a nonprofit organization helping abused caregivers.

“We have waited so long to get paid properly,“ said Aquino who received $60,000.

Torres began working for the same home in 2009. She received $11,000 from the settlement. She said, “We were responsible for everything — the patients, the cooking, the laundry. It was hard work.”

Aquino and Torres sought help from the FCC and found the support of the WERC. They won an initial victory in April 2010 when their work hours were reduced from 14 hours to 8 hours a day, with no reduction in pay.

“All of us caregivers should unite. We need to work together and fight for our rights,” Torres said.

Advocates said this is more than just a workers’ rights issue, this is also a patient care issue. They said if workers are overworked and exhausted, patient care is compromised.

They are calling on the government to impose stricter guidelines in the workplace to make sure rights for all are upheld.

If you feel you are an abused caregiver and want to know your rights as a worker, contact the Filipino Community Center at (415) 333-6267. Balitang America