Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Labor And Social Services topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
IHSS caregivers urge Solano supervisors to raise $17.70 hourly wage, warn of service losses
Summary
Several in-home supportive services (IHSS) caregivers told the board Sept. 9 the county should seek higher wages in the next union contract to retain providers and preserve at-home care for people with disabilities and older adults.
Multiple IHSS caregivers spoke during public comment at the Sept. 9 Solano County Board of Supervisors meeting, urging supervisors to support higher wages for in-home service providers.
Speakers and claims Daphne Dunstan identified herself as an IHSS caregiver and described caring for two adult sons with autism. Dunstan said the current IHSS wage of $17.70 an hour is insufficient to cover household costs and warned that if wages continue to lag, providers will leave the profession and some recipients could lose home-based care. "The health and safety of Solano County depends on it," she told the board.
Minerva Chavez, an IHSS caregiver for six years and member of SEIU Local 2015, told supervisors $17.70 an hour requires many caregivers to work a second job. Chavez said a higher wage would allow her to focus full time on her daughter’s needs and would promote caregiver stability.
Carl Vinson, who said he is a former caregiver and a member of the county public-authority advisory committee, also urged support for higher wages and emphasized the fiscal argument that IHSS can be a cost‑effective alternative to nursing-home placement.
Board response and next steps Comments were received during the public‑comment period; supervisors did not take immediate action on wages during the Sept. 9 session. The speakers asked the board to support IHSS wage increases in upcoming labor contract negotiations and to seek funding or local measures if necessary. No county commitment or vote on wages was recorded on Sept. 9.
Clarifying details The speakers repeatedly cited the current IHSS hourly wage used in the county meeting: $17.70. Caregivers framed the request as both a labor-equity issue and a county fiscal issue, saying higher wages would preserve home-based care that otherwise would require costlier institutional care.
