Inyo County, CA—Today, Inyo County 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 half a million nursing home workers and home care providers–rallied outside of the Inyo County Board of Supervisors and delivered public comments to the Board to call for livable wages, healthcare benefits and a strong invest in long-term care.
Sadly, Inyo has the third-worst provider shortage in California. The Board can change that, but only with investment. Real change starts with a strong contract that features livable wages and healthcare.
Inyo County caregivers continue to push for stronger livable wages to make ends meet. 2015 recently surveyed and found that more than half of Inyo County home care providers who left the industry nearly three years ago report leaving home care for better competitive paying jobs. Over a quarter who left report leaving due to the high cost of living in Inyo County. The Inyo County Board of Supervisors needs to invest in care to address the growing care crisis county-wide. A recent poll of in-home care workers in the County underscored the urgent challenges that many of these essential workers face. Some of the findings include:
- In 2024, 47,568 authorized care hours went unused.
- The growing demand for care and the need to attract and retain workers.
- Inyo County caregivers currently earn $17.25 an hour
- A living wage in Inyo County is $22.10 for a single person.
- A living wage with one child per household in Inyo County is $40.47 according to MIT’s Living Wage Calculator.
- By providing higher wages, the County can address its caregiver shortage, boost the local economy, and improve the standard of care in our community.
“A lot of caregivers take care of older adults. I take care of two people in their 90s. They require a lot of care and attention. I’m constantly in and out of the hospital with them. That’s what this contract is about for me: getting investment in my work so that my recipients can receive the best care I can give,” said Juanita Watterson, an Inyo County IHSS provider and SEIU 2015 member.
“Inyo home care providers work tirelessly day and night to keep the seniors and people with disabilities they care for at home in our community, rather than in facilities hundreds of miles away from home. While they care for hundreds of individuals in Inyo County, they’re struggling to make ends meet. The Inyo County Board of Supervisors must recognize the critical work that in-home care providers do. That recognition needs to start with paying them livable wages and ensuring their access to healthcare,” said SEIU 2015 Executive Vice President Marcus Mc Rae.
SEIU Local 2015 is committed to advocating for policies that support in-home care providers and those they care for, including livable wages and benefits, as well as access to training and professional development opportunities. SEIU Local 2015 is urging the Inyo County Board of Supervisors to end the pattern of exclusion and underinvestment. It’s time to treat care like the essential infrastructure it is—and to support the workers who make it possible. To learn more about SEIU Local 2015 visit www.SEIU2015.org or on social media @SEIU2015.