On Tuesday while Los Angeles County supervisors reviewed the annual budget 2022-2022, outside the building in downtown Los Angeles, hundreds of homecare workers, including some with their patients, were asking them to reconsider raising their wages.
In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) workers currently earn $16 the hour and ask for a raise to $20. They assure that the work they do is vital and sometimes of life or death since their patients require a lot of attention.
Such is the case of Mrs. María Esther Rangel who arrived pushing the wheelchair of his daughter Lupita Rangel, of 28 years. María is her personal caregiver, but she assures that the money she earns is not enough to maintain the home.
“They pay me 183 hours a month and I am with her the 24 hours a day. I can’t work somewhere else because he needs me and social security won’t deduct money from my check because I’m taking care of my daughter. What am I going to do when I retire? questioned the concerned mother of 30 years old.
Unable to hold back her tears, María said that her daughter was born at five months, which caused her cerebral palsy, blindness and problems walking.
“ I change her diapers, I feed her, I bathe her, at night I have to get up if she is up like today when she woke up at 4 in the morning to be on the lookout,” said María. “One doing this work becomes a slave and I can’t leave her alone because if someone touches her, she can’t tell me.”
Dina López came from Lancaster to support the demonstration. She stated that she has been a home care provider for more than 25 years old and currently caring for an elderly person in the city of Los Angeles. He added that he spends about $30 daily, only on gasoline and only works around 30 hours a week.
“All my salary goes to gasoline, but I don’t have the heart to leave my patient either because I know that his life depends on me,” López said. “She is desperate to think that I cannot come, but I am also worried about my health and my expenses.”
López said that asking for a salary increase at this time is no longer a luxury, it is a right so that she can continue working in a decent job helping others.
“Because if we stop working, people who depend on us can even lose their lives and we can end up on the street, if we don’t have enough to pay our rent,” said López.
Wendy Duchen, spokesperson for the SEIU Local Union 2015, which represents the workers, said that they have been negotiating for seven months a new contract that includes a salary increase.
“These home care providers are considered independent providers and do not get a raise because they are not considered county, state, or city employees. However, his hours are given by the county and his check comes from the state,” explained Duchen. “They don’t have retirement or sick leave.”
The spokeswoman said that at this time when the whole country is seeing a shortage of labor Los Angeles County should prevent a “posed tsunami” if home health care workers leave their jobs.
He added that nursing homes are already full and there are many people from the elderly, disabled and children who can live in their homes, as long as they have the necessary assistance.
The workforce of the IHSS program of the state of California represents the 46%, But only represents 2% of the Los Angeles County budget.
“At In & Out workers earn $17. 50 the time and they have 401k making hamburgers, or workers at Target can earn $22 without having to care for other humans. Where are Los Angeles County’s priorities? questioned Duchen.
Currently there are approximately 183, IHSS workers in the county. The SEIU 2022 conducted a survey and found that the 75% of workers feel that they are receiving very low wages. The 31 % have multiple jobs apart from caring for people and the 31% said that they cannot leave their job because they are directly responsible for the care of a family member.
Duchen explained that workers did not receive any incentives during the pandemic and Even so, they did not leave their patients homeless.
“While many of us were able to take refuge at home, they couldn’t. They took public transportation and could have brought the virus back home. In addition, they live in places where they cannot quarantine, so they infected most of their family and many of them lost their lives,” he explained.
The union asked that they be given the courage that workers deserve. That they be recognized as essential workers, but not only in words but also in deeds through their salaries.
Supervisor Janice Hahn stated that “our home health providers provide valuable and essential care to people who need it most, and I support their call for better wages, especially given the great sacrifice that many of them have made and the risk they have taken during the pandemic.”
Meanwhile, Los Angeles County sent out a statement saying they appreciate the important services provided by IHSS workers, who make such a significant difference in the lives of people who need care, and who have more than 31 years of age, disabled, or blind due to a medical condition or disability.
“These are more than 170, IHSS workers are not county employees and are currently bargaining through their union, SEIU 2015, directly with the Personal Assistance Services Council, which is the public authority for this program. Because negotiations are ongoing, we are unable to provide additional details at this time.”