In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) is a social service that allows people who need long-term care to receive it in the comfort and safety of their own homes. In Yolo County, approximately 3,400 IHSS workers provide long-term care services—including household work, personal care services, and paramedical services—to nearly 3,500 older adults and people with disabilities. Click here to learn more about the essential long-term care IHSS workers provide.
Without our IHSS workers, thousands of our vulnerable neighbors would lose access to essential long-term care. Despite providing critical services, Yolo’s IHSS workforce earns just $17.25 an hour, only $0.75 above California’s minimum wage and far below the $25.60 hourly wage needed to cover all household expenses in our county.
Yolo IHSS workers are joining together to secure a strong contract that not only increases wages and improves benefits for workers but guarantees just, equitable access to long-term care for all who need it in our community.
Campaign Update #3: January 28, 2025
As bargaining continues, SEIU 2015 returned to the Yolo County Board of Supervisors meeting chambers to speak on the issues facing family caregivers. All of the member speakers at the meeting were in-home care providers for their disabled children or spouses, and all pointed to how critical the IHSS program is to their families’ lives.
SEIU 2015 member Jose Luis Reyes takes care of his wife who, starting in 2020, experienced a series of health complications, having now suffered a total of two heart attacks and four strokes. He assists her with everything from eating to bathing to putting on shoes.
“Still, I want to be the one to take care of her,” he said, and would never consider placing his wife in a facility. He argued that in-home care must be a viable option for all families in Yolo.
“In my opinion, the best option for people in our situation is to keep your loved one at home and take care of them,” he said. “And the IHSS program makes this choice possible.”
Rosario Sanchez provides 24/7 care of her daughter with Apert Syndrome, including late nights when she needs help with her breathing equipment, in addition to working a second job.
“I ask that the board be humane and empathetic toward home care workers,” she said. “You or your parents might someday need care, and you will want a caregiver who is passionate about this important work.”
Patricia Ornelas, who takes care of her son with cerebral palsy, asked the Board to work alongside the union to come to an agreement swiftly.
“We need your support and collaboration for this negotiation,” she said. “We want to be treated with dignity and respect.”
Campaign Update #2: January 14, 2025
At the start of the new year, Yolo County IHSS workers returned to bargaining table for a new contract. SEIU 2015 members spoke at the January 14 Board of Supervisors meeting to emphasize the importance of competitive wages as the demand for care in the county grows.
SEIU 2015 care giver and bargaining team member Martha Velasquez told the board that in-home care giving is a demanding job deserving of respect. “This work is not easy,” she said, “and not everyone has the patience or the heart to do it. We need to attract compassionate people to ensure our consumers get the best possible care.”
Steven Payán, a caregiver who was born and raised in Yolo County, spoke about the difficulty his client Ceasar has faced in holding on to quality care givers. “Ceasar has shared with me that many of his previous care givers could not afford to stay in the industry and looked for other jobs,” Payan said. “I myself have told Cesar that I have often considered leaving the industry as well because the income is simply too low. This is a huge problem that affects us both.“
Campaign Update #1: November 12, 2024
With bargaining between Yolo County caregivers and the Board of Supervisors officially underway, SEIU 2015 members took to the dais at the November 12 Board meeting to share their stories and push for a fair contract.
Member Margaret Raymundo has been a caregiver for 30 years. “When I began doing home care work in Woodland, county caregiver wages were only $4.25 an hour,” she told the Board. “Those wages have of course gone up, but so have the prices of everything else.”
Margaret currently provides home care services to three people in Yolo County, including a physically disabled man she’s been working with for ten years. “IHSS workers like me ensure that people with disabilities can remain safely in their homes and live with dignity,” she said.
Like many caregivers in Yolo, Margaret pays out of pocket for work expenses even as her wages fail to keep up with the rising cost of housing and other necessities. “Our pay doesn’t come anywhere close to a living wage,” she told the Board.
Bargaining team member Patricia Ornelas shared a similar struggle. “Many of my fellow IHSS workers struggle financially at the end of every month when rent and bills are due,” she said.
Patricia argued that higher wages will be key in addressing the shortage of caregivers. “A better contract would improve the quality of life for us and our families,” she said. “It would also attract more people to this profession and help solve the caregiving crisis in Yolo County.”