**MEDIA ADVISORY**
WHEN:
Tuesday, July 9th, 2024
12:00 PM PT
WHERE:
Fresno County Board of Supervisors
Fresno Hall of Records, 2281 Tulare St, Fresno 9372
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) 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.
WHY:
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: 80.7% 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: 42.3% of IHSS providers in Fresno County experience consistent food insecurity, relying on CalFresh and/or food banks at least monthly.
- Transportation insecurity: 84.8% of IHSS providers in Fresno County who have cars miss regular maintenance on their car because it is too expensive.
- Housing disparity: 53.5% of IHSS providers in Fresno County have difficulty paying their mortgage or rent each month, with many reporting that they are sometimes or always late with their payments.
- 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.
Unless these become improved care jobs, care providers will continue to leave this profession for fast food, warehouse, retail, restaurant and other jobs that have started paying substantially more. And the shortage of caregivers comes at a time when 10,000 Americans turn 65 every day and the demand for care is exploding.
Press Contacts:
DKC News
SEIU@dkcnews.com
On Site Contacts:
eduardoh@seiu2015.org
UaL@seiu2015.org