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Inyo County caregivers press supervisors for contract after two years without agreement
Summary
Caregivers, organized by SEIU 2015, told the Inyo County Board of Supervisors on Sept. 2 that an expired IHSS contract and large numbers of unused authorized hours are leaving recipients without care and forcing providers out of the field. Negotiators met in closed session earlier; the board reported no reportable action.
Caregivers and SEIU negotiators urged the Inyo County Board of Supervisors on Sept. 2 to return to bargaining with a “dignified” contract after nearly two years without an agreement, saying staffing shortages and unused authorized hours are leaving recipients without needed home care.
At public comment, IHSS caregiver Gina Martinez said caregivers were leaving for better-paying jobs and that the county has been negotiating without a contract since September 2023. "We have been without a contract for nearly 2 years," Martinez said, adding that caregivers need wages and health coverage that allow them to stay in the profession.
Organizer Oscar Maciel, representing SEIU 2015, told the board the state’s 2024 authorized paid hours show Inyo County ranks third out of 58 counties for unused hours and that about 48,000 authorized hours are currently not being used. "This is not being good stewards of our tax money," Maciel said, and he said the union presented a copy of the state hours allocation to the county clerk for distribution to the board.
SEIU negotiators at the meeting said the county "has now come back with the dignified proposal that uplifts the work that caregivers do in [Inyo County]," but they pressed supervisors for a timely, enforceable contract. Olga Valle, an SEIU executive-board member and member of the negotiating team, said the county is in "crisis mode" and implored supervisors to be "care champions." Uwa Lugo, SEIU staff and negotiator, also spoke on behalf of the bargaining team.
Speakers warned that proposed cuts to Medicaid (Medi-Cal) at the state and national level could further reduce hours and funding that support IHSS (In-Home Supportive Services). Maciel said uncertainty about those cuts has produced "fear, confusion, and anger among our caregivers and recipients." Commenters said caregivers reduce county costs by helping recipients avoid institutional care, but that low pay and lost hours are pushing providers out of the county.
The board met in closed session earlier in the morning for labor negotiations and a public-employee performance evaluation; County Counsel Vallejo reported out that staff provided reports but the board took no reportable action. No vote or formal board decision on the IHSS contract was recorded at the public meeting.
SEIU representatives asked the board to return to bargaining in good faith and to adopt a contract that includes higher wages and adequate health benefits; they did not present a specific dollar figure for wage increases during the comments. The union also requested the board consider the state-authorized hours data the union provided to the county clerk.
Board members did not make a public motion or vote at the meeting on the contract; the transcript records only public comment and the closed-session notice and report. Union speakers said they will continue to press the board until supervisors return with a "dignified proposal."
