**MEDIA ADVISORY**
WHEN:
Tuesday, October 10, 2023
8:30 a.m. – 12 p.m.
WHERE:
Fresno Hall of Records
2281 Tulare St, Fresno, CA 93724
WHO:
Fresno County long-term care workers (members of SEIU 2015); Supporters and allies from the SEIU Local 2015 community.
WHAT:
A rally with Fresno In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) workers – 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 – to demand livable wages and healthcare, a critical issue which the Fresno County Board of Supervisors urgently needs to address.
This action comes following an inexcusable act by the Fresno BOS last month to shut down and cancel a pre-scheduled Board meeting, which prevented essential Fresno caregivers from speaking publicly and directly to the Supervisor about the challenges they face.
WHY:
Long-term care workers in Fresno County currently do not receive adequate benefits or livable wages, and the Fresno BOS is also threatening to reduce healthcare for the County’s IHSS providers, and providers need their healthcare.
SEIU members have publicly spoken on the challenges of juggling multiple jobs, barely making ends meet with low wages, and struggling to afford housing.
Recent polling of in-home care workers in Fresno County underscores the urgent challenges that many of these essential workers face. Some of the distressing findings include:
- More than 80% of IHSS providers in Fresno County reported working multiple jobs – at least some of the time – just to make ends meet. That’s 4 out of every 5 providers in the county.
- Almost HALF of IHSS providers in Fresno County experience consistent food insecurity, forced to rely on CalFresh and/or food banks.
- Nearly 55% 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.
- Nearly 60% of IHSS providers surveyed spend at least HALF of their income on housing, and about 20% spend more than 75%.
- More than 55% 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
Kinye Watson
kinyew@seiu2015.org
(213) 730-8243
On-Site Contact:
Ua Her Lugo
ual@seiu2015.org
(559) 363-7165
Vicki Vang
vickiv@seiu2015.org
(559) 388-3190