As union contract negotiations near a possible impasse, home care workers demand fiscal responsibility from County Supervisors

Press Contact:
Brandon LimBrandonL@seiu2015.org(213) 677-6284
August 26, 2025
Posted in Press Release
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More than $6 million in state and federal funding are available for wage increases to help address Shasta’s healthcare crisis

Shasta County, CA – Today, Shasta’s In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) workers—members of SEIU 2015, the nation’s largest long-term care union representing more than half a million workers—returned to the Board of Supervisors meeting to caution county leaders about Shasta’s healthcare crisis and the urgent need to address it by raising wages for home care workers.

Across Shasta, nearly 4,400 IHSS workers provide essential long-term care (including paramedical, personal care, and household services) to more than 4,600 older adults and people with disabilities, including veterans. Without IHSS workers, countless community members across Shasta County wouldn’t be able to access the essential long-term care they need to stay in our community—increasing hospital and long-term care facility visits, driving up costs for the county and state.

For more than eight months, Shasta IHSS workers have been negotiating their next union contract with county leaders. Shasta Supervisors refuse to pay IHSS workers what they need to cover household expenses for workers and their families despite SEIU 2015’s multiple attempts to reach an agreement. 

The current $18.10 hourly wage for Shasta home care workers leaves them struggling to pay for housing, feed their families and access medical care—pushing many out of the profession and creating a shortage of long-term care workers. According to a recent poll:

  • 81% of Shasta’s IHSS workers work multiple jobs, at least some of the time, to make ends meet.
  • 56% of Shasta’s IHSS workers have difficulty paying for housing each month, reporting that they are sometimes or always late with their payments.
  • 56% of Shasta’s IHSS workers are sometimes or often unable to access medication—and 52% are sometimes or often prevented from visiting the doctor—due to concerns about cost.
  • Nearly 40% of Shasta’s IHSS workers experience consistent food insecurity.

As negotiations near an impasse, Shasta Supervisors poised to leave more than $6 million state and federal dollars on the table that can be used to raise IHSS wages and stimulate Shasta’s economy. Once an impasse is declared:

  • Shasta Supervisors or SEIU 2015 can request a mediator to help reach an agreement. 
  • If an agreement still isn’t reached, California’s Public Employees Relations Board (PERB) will appoint a panel to consider the facts and recommend terms that both parties should agree to. 
  • If Shasta Supervisors refuse the terms recommended by PERB, the county must pay more than $1 million annually in penalties to the state. 

“Shasta IHSS workers are the backbone of our care system. We care for people in our community who need it, and we save taxpayers money by cutting down nursing home and hospital visits for Shasta residents,” said Ronnie Dillon, a Shasta County IHSS worker. “County Supervisors can avoid paying $1 million annually to the state and keep Shasta taxpayer dollars right here in our county by funding $1.2 million over the next three years for IHSS wage increases.”

“Shasta Supervisors need to live up to their sworn oath to protect and improve the health and well-being of their residents,” said SEIU Local 2015 Executive Vice President Kim Evon. “Using millions of state and federal dollars to fund wage increases for IHSS workers is the only fiscally and morally responsible decision this Board can make.”

SEIU Local 2015 is committed to advancing policies that improve the lives of long-term care workers and those they care for. The union’s bargaining team calls upon the Board of Supervisors to address these pressing issues by raising wages for IHSS workers and ensuring Shasta’s long-term care system is prepared to support the county’s future.

To learn more about SEIU Local 2015 visit www.SEIU2015.org or on social media @SEIU2015.