On Tuesday morning, 65 union members rallied at the Inyo County Board of Supervisors meeting. They demanded a liveable wage and health insurance for home health care providers. 

The protesters belong to Service Employees International Union (SEIU 2015) representing In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) employees.

Currently, home care providers earn $17.25 per hour, and do not receive health insurance. According to the SEIU website and MIT’s Living Wage Calculator, a liveable wage in Inyo county for a single adult is $22.10 per hour. The mean hourly wage in the county is $30.67. For caregivers raising a family, the gap is wider. Their livable wage is $40.47 per hour. Moreover, the Inyo County IHSS providers have been without a contract for two years. The last contract expired in 2023.