California home caregivers seek statewide bargaining power

SACRAMENTO — California’s in-home caregivers, a historically underpaid workforce that serves a rapidly aging population, could receive a significant boost in bargaining power under a new bill introduced Friday.

The In-Home Support Services EmployeeEmployer Relations Act, authored by Assemblyman Matt Haney, D-San Francisco, would allow the state’s in-home supportive services (IHSS) caregivers to unite under one statewide bargaining unit. They would negotiate with the Department of Healthcare Services. Currently, workers bargain county-by-county with the boards of supervisors. Most only pay within a dollar or two of the minimum wage.

“These are skilled essential workers,” Haney said. “And they’re only getting more essential.”

The bill reflects the impending “care cliff” faced by the state as its population ages. By 2030, the Department of Finance projects, one in every five Californians will be over the age of 65. It means demand for inhome care will surge.

“We have a crisis,” said Fernando Torres-Gil, a UCLA professor and expert on aging and social welfare policy. “We have a huge and growing unmet need. We have a workforce that has been disrespected, and there are fewer people willing to do this kind of work.”

IHSS workers provide in-home care for low-income Californians over the age of 65 and those with disabilities. Over 650,000 people use the program, and more than 550,000 workers take care of them. Women and people of color comprise much of the in-home care workforce. About 85% of home care workers in the United States are female, according to a study from the nonprofit Paraprofessional Healthcare Institute, and 63% are nonwhite.

The vast majority of care providers are friends and family members of their clients, and they provide services ranging from food preparation and housekeeping to personal hygiene and toileting. Some have given up careers and other jobs to become full-time caregivers. Others work with several clients, trying to piece together enough hours to pay their bills.

“Caregiving is rough,” said Sydney O’Connor, a 27-year-old IHSS worker in Kern County who cares for her blind and diabetic partner, Jacob. “I do this because I care for my partner, because I care about people who need help.”

Leading proponents of the bill include Service Employees International Union Local 2015 and the United Domestic Workers, which together represent more than 400,000 workers. The unions argue that statewide bargaining power would give the IHSS workforce significantly more leverage to win improved wages and benefits.