WHEN:
Tuesday, December 12, 2023
Time: 8:30 AM
WHERE:
Fresno County Board of Supervisors, 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) workers, long-term care providers, and members of SEIU Local 2015—the nation’s largest long-term care union and California’s largest labor union representing nearly 450,000 nursing home workers and home care providers—are demanding that Fresno’s Board of Supervisors address the growing demand for care and the industry’s current provider shortage crisis amid poverty wages, elimination of healthcare, disparities in compensation, and more. In Fresno County, the board threatens to completely remove healthcare coverage in order to bring their shockingly lowball offer of a 15¢ raise up to 85¢. Supervisors have even noted that many providers qualify for Medi-Cal—a tacit acknowledgement that the wages they offer caregivers are poverty wages.
Some Fresno County Supervisors have misrepresented their offer by falsely claiming that their proposal seeks to “extend benefits to all.” In reality, the board’s offer would cancel county-provided healthcare coverage and push IHSS providers onto government assistance like Medi-Cal to continue their tacit support for failed solutions.
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: 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..
- About 58% of IHSS providers also reported that sometimes or often are prevented from visiting the doctor due to concerns about cost.
This action comes amid the Board of Supervisors’ continued dismissal of caregivers’ calls for livable wages and healthcare benefits following the shut down and cancellation of a pre-scheduled board meeting in August and continued refusal to bargain with 2015 members.
Press Contacts:
DKC News
SEIU@dkcnews.com
On Site Contacts:
UaL@seiu2015.org
vickiv@seiu2015.org