Biden’s jobs plan would change my family’s lives

I’m a frontline worker with two essential, full-time jobs: one that pays and one that doesn’t. My primary job is a restaurant worker at Tropics Grille in Wilton Manors. And my second job is as a caregiver, like so many others taking care of loved ones on top of their so-called day job. Balancing the two is stressful, I won’t lie. I’m trying to make enough money to pay the bills, but I’m also on edge constantly in my invisible role as a caregiver. I keep my phone on at the restaurant at all times in case of emergencies.

While it’s tough to both go to work and provide full time care, I don’t have a choice. My mom worked for 20 years, but now her diabetes limits her mobility and she is unable to work. She sees a specialist twice a week to monitor her health and suffers from heart issues and other complications. Disability insurance covers my mom’s medical costs, but her social security checks don’t cut it when it comes to paying our bills. When I’m at work, I worry about her wellbeing; when I’m not at work, I cook, clean, buy groceries, tutor my siblings and worry about paying next month’s rent.

A lot of young workers like me are the breadwinners for our families while caring for older and younger family members. Working in a frontline, public-facing service job during the pandemic is already difficult, but those who care for aging loved ones or family members with disabilities have an added layer of pressure. I work hard to keep the lights on for my family, but it’s often not enough when I’m paid anywhere from $12 an hour as a host to just $5.63 an hour plus tips as a bar-back.

Care work really is the foundation of our economy — no one can do their job if a family member’s care needs are not being met. So many Americans have had to make the difficult decision to sacrifice a paycheck in order to stay home and ensure the safety of their family members — or like me, they have to juggle both, making sacrifices along the way. That’s why President Biden’s recent pledge to spend $400 billion on home and community care gives me hope. He understands how badly people like me need more help, especially as we all try to get through this pandemic and to something better than we had before.

Many of us face the challenges of family care alone. If something happened to me, my mom and siblings would lose their entire support system. But family care doesn’t have to be an individual problem. We need a society-wide system of support. That’s why I am joining essential workers nationwide in calling on members of Congress to pass the American Jobs Plan, including a $400 billion investment in home care.

The American Jobs Plan would help people like my sister, who wants to pursue a career in direct care. Right now, just like fast-food jobs, home care jobs are chronically underpaid; the average wage for a home care worker is $12 an hour, far from enough to support a family on. I want my sister to be able to do the care work she loves and to have access to a minimum of $15 an hour, a union so she can advocate for herself on the job, and training opportunities so she can build a real career.

For all these reasons, the American Jobs Plan would be life-changing for my family. It would open up a pathway to a steady career for my sister. It would mean we can get my mom the quality care she deserves. And it would allow me to focus on working, saving for the future and going to school.

Essential workers of color like myself fought hard in November to get the vote out for Biden, Harris and Democrats in Congress because we believed they would look out for our best interests.

I need these politicians to fight for me as hard as I did for them in November. As the country continues to open up, workers like me will have even less time to balance work and family care. Investing in care is key to getting America back to work, and it would transform the lives of countless families like mine. I am counting on the politicians, elected by working people, to do the right thing and prioritize family care.

By Elijah Manley