Earned Income Tax Refund Takes the Sting out of the Winter Storms

Housekeeper Dinetta “Dee” Edmondson has been coming to the 1199SEIU office in Baltimore to work on her taxes for the past three years. This year, the federal Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) made a big difference to the bottom line of her refund.

“This winter’s weather was so bad that we stayed in for a whole week,” she explains. “We had to keep the house warm, so those bills are going to be much higher than normal. This refund helps me keep on top of that and put a little away for emergencies so I’m not too stressed out.”

Dee has been a union member at Pickersgill Retirement Community for 33 years. Dee’s mother is retired, but at 79 is still active in the union after 23 years under her belt in the laundry department.

Dee says that her mission is to encourage young people to get more active in the union. Indeed, after finishing her taxes today, she signed up three young union members for Lobby Day activities in Annapolis on March 11.