Labor Calls on County Supervisors to “Be Fair to Those Who Care”

Stand Up San Diego

By Anthony Saavedra

Several hundred home care providers, their clients and community and labor supporters rallied at the County Administration Building on Sept. 16 to urge the San Diego County Board of Supervisors to “be fair to those who care.”

At issue is the board’s refusal to negotiate a living wage for the 22,000 San Diegans who provide needed home care to thousands of seniors and people with disabilities in our county.

Despite the fact that San Diego County has an unrestricted General Fund balance of more than $1 billion, the county pays its home care providers just $9.25 an hour in wages plus 43 cents an hour for health benefits.  The rate for homecare workers is one of the lowest in the state.

At the same time, Imperial County, one of the state’s poorest counties, pays its home care providers $10.50 an hour. 

Home care providers are asking for just a $1.50 an hour increase over the next three years.  The county is demanding that the home care providers accept a paltry 44 cents an hour over the same period. 

Throughout negotiations, the Board of Supervisors has refused to budge, even though the money the county pays home care providers under the In Home Supportive Services program is fully reimbursed by both the state and federal governments.  Besides receiving funds from the state and federal governments, the county also saves millions of dollars through the use of home care workers.

“Since institutional care costs taxpayers six to eight times more than home care, you would think that our County  Supervisors would do all they could to support the successful IHSS home care program that keeps thousands of San Diegans out of nursing homes,” said Doug Moore, AFSCME/UDWA Local 3930 Executive Director.  “You would think they would take advantage of available federal and state funds to provide our most vulnerable citizens with the care and services they need.

“The Supervisors like to brag that they are fiscally prudent, but in this case they’re being penny wise and pound foolish.”

For more photos from the rally, visit www.unionyes.org/image.