SISKIYOU HOME CARE WORKERS DEMAND ACCOUNTABILITY FROM BOARD OF SUPERVISORS AS LONG-TERM CARE CRISIS WORSENS…

Siskiyou home care workers demand accountability from Board of Supervisors as long-term care crisis worsens for rural Californians

Yreka, CA — On February 2nd and 3rd, SEIU Local 2015 escalated their campaign for a first-ever union contract between Siskiyou’s In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) workers and the Board of Supervisors. 

Because they’ve never had a union contract, Siskiyou is the only county in California to pay IHSS workers minimum wage—just $16.90 an hour—worsening this county’s long-term crisis as workers leave the industry in pursuit of higher wages. The crisis is even more dangerous in rural areas of the county where healthcare services are already limited and challenging to access.

This week’s escalation included:

• An uncommon fact-finding hearing conducted on February 2nd, part of a process initiated by SEIU Local 2015 with California’s Public Employment Relations Board (PERB), a quasi-judicial state agency that oversees labor relations between most California public employers and their employees.
• A worker action at the February 3rd Board of Supervisors meeting where dozens of SEIU Local 2015 members, community organizations, and local leaders pressured the Board to raise the IHSS wage.

SEIU Local 2015 initiated the process last October as Siskiyou Supervisors drove contract negotiations to an impasse despite calls from the community to address the county’s long-term care crisis. The last time the union was pushed to engage in this process was in 2017. 

For years, IHSS workers and county residents have expressed concerns that the vital paramedical, personal hygiene, and household services IHSS workers provide will become harder to access for older adults and people with disabilities unless Supervisors raise wages. 

“I care for two IHSS clients who live about 25 miles apart. I make multiple round trips a day to make sure they are both safe and healthy. On average, I drive between 100 and 120 miles per day. This costs me roughly $97 per day, or $680 per week out of my own pocket,” said Siskiyou IHSS worker Margaret K. 

“This is what we do in Siskiyou County. We go out of our way to make sure our neighbors are taken care of. But minimum wage makes it near-impossible to keep up with the cost of living. People can’t afford to stay in this job. I worry that my clients won’t be able to find another caregiver once I’m no longer able to care for them unless Siskiyou Supervisors stabilize the workforce and raise the IHSS wage.” Read more about Margaret’s caregiving story in SEIU Local 2015’s recent blog post.

SEIU Local 2015 members and their allies observe that this crisis is more than just a moral issue, it’s a fiscal one, too. Because of the way the IHSS program is funded, Siskiyou County is on the hook for just 16% of the total cost of wage increases, with state and federal sources funding the remaining 84%.

“It’s absurd that Siskiyou Supervisors have neglected this crisis in their community for so long. The IHSS program is a lifeline for hundreds of people in this county who have no other affordable options to receive the care they need,” said SEIU Local 2015 Executive Vice President Kim Evon. “Raising the IHSS wage is the smartest solution to this crisis because not only does the program reduce annual costs for long-term care, but it also would bring in more than $500,000 from state and federal sources Siskiyou otherwise wouldn’t receive.”

Now that the fact-finding hearing is complete, PERB will soon publicly release their findings and issue recommended contract terms both the union and county should agree to.

SEIU Local 2015 will continue to escalate and apply pressure on Siskiyou Supervisors until they reach a deal on a first-ever union contract that addresses the long-term care crisis by raising wages for IHSS workers.

Press Release
Region 6, Siskiyou

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