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IHSS providers urge longer contract and higher pay as board readies contract approval
Summary
SEIU members told the board they ratified a new IHSS agreement with the county that slightly increases wages but lasts only one year; providers asked supervisors to pursue longer-term improvements to wages and benefits for more than 2,400 Lake County caregivers.
Vicki Osborne, an in-home-supportive-services (IHSS) provider and SEIU Local 2015 member, told the Board of Supervisors during public comment that her bargaining unit had ratified a new one-year contract with the county and praised the small wage improvements but urged longer agreements and more robust benefits.
"The contract now goes before the Board of Supervisors for approval," Osborne said. "Our members are relieved to have a new contract that slightly improves our wages, but the new contract only lasts for one year. Our members still need wages and benefits that keep up with the cost of living." She said Lake County has more than 2,400 IHSS providers who deliver essential services to seniors and people with disabilities.
Board members acknowledged the employees' concerns and said they would continue negotiations and look to longer-term strategies that sustain the provider workforce. The board took the item up on consent and the overall consent agenda passed (5-0), with the contract matter set for finalization via the normal consent process.
