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IHSS workers tell Siskiyou supervisors low pay is costing clients continuity of care
Summary
Two IHSS providers told the board that Siskiyou County pays in-home supportive services workers at or near minimum wage, urged a real wage increase and requested the county negotiate a first union contract to improve recruitment and retention.
Two in-home supportive services (IHSS) providers told the Siskiyou County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday that low pay is forcing caregivers out of the program and creating gaps in care for county residents.
"We are still the only county in California that is paying IHSS workers minimum wage," said Alyssa Fox, who identified herself as an IHSS worker and a SEIU bargaining-team member. Fox described having to consider other jobs because "the gas is going to hurt me financially" when traveling to clients and said many providers hold multiple jobs to make ends meet.
Renee Klaus, who said she represents providers from the Jim Jim's Camp area, told the board IHSS providers in the county earn "$16.50 an hour" and cited an MIT living-wage estimate of $20.89 an hour for a single adult in Siskiyou County. Klaus said home care through IHSS costs far less than institutional care and urged supervisors to "increase the IHSS wage above minimum and direct staff to bargain in good faith towards a first contract with the union."
The comments came during the public-comment portion of a special meeting. Neither staff nor supervisors made a formal wage proposal on the record at the meeting; speakers requested that county staff pursue negotiation and higher pay. The transcript shows no formal board action on IHSS wages during this session.
The providers framed the request as both a workforce and budget issue: Klaus cited national median nursing-home costs and said keeping care at home reduces overall taxpayer expense. Fox and Klaus said recruitment and retention problems — providers leaving for better-paying private-sector jobs — are leading to care gaps for clients.
Next steps were not decided during the meeting; both commenters asked the board to authorize staff to negotiate with the union and to consider a wage increase in future budget or bargaining processes. The board did not take formal action on IHSS wages at this session.
