Martinez, CA –Home care workers and their supporters gathered at the Contra Costa County Administration Building Tuesday morning to demand that the County Board of Supervisors prioritize a fair contract for home care workers.
Home care workers, who are paid just $11.50 per hour in Contra Costa County and have not had a raise in nearly seven years, are struggling just to survive while caring for our senior and disabled neighbors. While Contra Costa County Supervisors gave themselves a raise from $97,483 to $104,307 earlier this year, because the cost of the In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) program is jointly shared by local, state and federal governments, the County would pay less than half of any wage increase. It makes no sense that poverty-level wages can’t be increased.
“You can’t nickel and dime people who don’t have nickels and dimes,” Danville home care worker John Roe told the Board of Supervisors. John was joined by several other workers who talked about how they care for their clients and the trouble they have making ends meet on such a low wage.
Home care workers supporter Jennifer Lin, Deputy Director of EBASE, the East Bay Alliance for a Sustainable Economy, told the Board that, according to EBASE research, home care workers are often the primary wage earner for their family. A livable wage would help lift these families out of poverty.
Represented by SEIU Local 2015, home care workers in Contra Costa County have been at the negotiating table with the County since January of this year, asking for a pathway to a livable wage.
The next negotiating session is scheduled for October 21.
