WHEN:
Tuesday, April 23, 2024
9:00 AM PT
WHERE:
Fresno County Board of Supervisors
Fresno Hall of Records, 2281 Tulare St, Fresno 93724
WHO:
Long-term care workers (members of SEIU 2015); Supporters and allies of the SEIU Local 2015 community.
WHAT:
Fresno In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) home care providers—members of SEIU Local 2015, the nation’s largest long-term care union, and California’s largest labor union representing more than 470,000 nursing home workers and home care providers—are gathering at the Fresno County Board of Supervisors to demand livable wages and comprehensive healthcare benefits.
Over the last nine years, the cost of living in Fresno County went up by 38.4%, while the county’s supervisors raised the wages of their home care providers during that same nine-year period by a total of only 4.6%—currently only $0.60 above the minimum wage. This means that buying power for the average home care provider has decreased 33.8%. Fresno County’s current IHSS wage is only $16.60 an hour with a $0.85 health benefit contribution. During the same nine-year period, salaries for each Fresno County Board of Supervisor has increased by 31.3% with a current annual of $188, 272 a year.
By providing County IHSS workers with a livable wage, an additional $580 million a year in state and federal funds would be brought into our local communities, creating jobs and increasing tax revenue. This would also attract and retain the caregivers that our county must have to meet the exploding need for home care.
WHY:
Long-term care workers in Fresno County are struggling to make ends meet, prompting many to leave the long term care industry altogether. This comes as Fresno County faces a shortage of care providers. Last year, more than 625,000 authorized care hours went unused, indicating a lack of providers and care that older adults and those with disabilities desperately needed. When care hours go unmet, federal and state funding that supports that care is lost. Investing in home care is an investment in Fresno.
Recent polling of in-home care workers in Fresno County underscores the urgent challenges that many of these essential workers face in making ends meet.
- Working multiple jobs: Over 80% of IHSS providers in Fresno County reported working multiple jobs – at least some of the time – just to make ends meet. That’s nearly 4 out of every 5 provider’s in the county.
- Food insecurity: More than 42% of IHSS providers in Fresno County experience consistent food insecurity, relying on CalFresh and/or food banks at least monthly.
- Housing disparity: About 59% of those we surveyed spend at least 50% of their income on housing, and over 19% spend more than 75%.
- Healthcare disparity: 55.7% of IHSS providers in Fresno County are sometimes or often unable to access medication because they cannot afford the cost of prescriptions.
Press Contacts:
DKC News
SEIU@dkcnews.com
On Site Contacts:
UaL@seiu2015.org
vickiv@seiu2015.org