County budgets and county supervisors determine IHSS wages and health benefits.

The state budget sets the limit on how much funding is available for the IHSS program. After that, your County Board of Supervisors are the authorities that authorize wage levels and health benefits (up to the state limits) for each individual county. The IHSS program is administered by the County, and United Domestic Workers must negotiate with the County for increased wages and benefits. As taxpayers and voters, we elect members of this Board, and they are therefore accountable to us. Each County usually has several districts, and each district has one supervisor who represents that district. That means as a taxpayer and a home care worker you have a particular County Supervisor who represents you, and that supervisor is an elected official. How to contact your District Supervisor

The power of your union to get you pay raises and medical benefits is directly related to how visible home care workers and their clients are, as a voting block. That is why it is so important you are registered to vote. UDW would never call for workers to strike; instead we need your participation in these activities to compel elected leaders to recognize your importance to the community and grant you a decent wage.

The Board of Supervisors hold public meetings, during which anyone is allowed to speak. Home care workers can attend these meetings and speak before the Board. When home care workers appear at the Board of Supervisor meetings, we talk to the Board about the importance of our work, and let them know that we want them to represent us with their decisions. This is particularly important if your county is in the process of bargaining for better wages.

1. If you are not comfortable speaking, your attendance is still very important, and shows political interest, solidarity, and influence. Many home care workers bring their client(s) and family members – there is power in numbers! UDW gives out green T-shirts with the UDW logo to people who come to the public session of the Board, so that when the County Supervisors look in to the audience they can see how many concerned home care workers, clients, (and voters!) are present.
2. We understand that it is often very difficult for home care workers to leave their clients or bring them along to attend these meetings. When it is not possible to attend in person, you can still write to your supervisor, and have a big influence with your letter. When elected officials get a letter from someone they represent, it is calculated that there are probably 500 other people out there with the same opinion who simply haven’t had the time to write a letter. That is why letters are very important.
3. You may also phone your County Supervisors office and ask to speak with him or her. You can tell them why your job as a home care worker is vitally important to the community and why you deserve a decent wage.

County Board of Supervisors Public Meetings

These meetings are held once a week (often on Tuesdays) at your County Offices. To find specific information for your county, (and a link to your County Supervisors web page), go to your individual county page on our website. During the public meetings, there is usually a portion of time allotted to items that are scheduled on the agenda, and a portion of time allotted for the public to speak. Speakers during the public sessions must fill out a registration card and limit their comments (usually to two, or three minutes – depending on the county). The schedule and agenda are customarily posted at county offices as well as the Board of Supervisors web page, which is also where you will find information about the the specific Supervisor that represents your district.

Home care workers who are willing to speak at the public session can be a very powerful influence. Clients of home care services (disabled or elderly recipients of IHSS) are equally important in their impact.

Contacting your County Supervisor

Every county has their own web page that lists the supervisors for that county. To find out who your Supervisor is and to get their name, address, and phone number. Go to the page on this website for Your County. Once you are on your individual county page, use the “Quick Links” at the top of the page (Your County Board of Supervisors) or scroll to the section for the Board of Supervisors. There you will find a link to your County Board of Supervisors web page, as well as more information for your local area.

On the website for your county Board of Supervisors, you can often watch video of their public meetings. It is during the “public comment” part of those meetings that home care workers and their clients or community supporters can (and do) speak to their supervisors.

Personal letters and phone calls to your District Supervisor are very important.

Letters:

If you write a letter, you can address the letter to your personal supervisor or mail it to the entire Board. Remember, when elected officials get a letter from someone they represent, it is calculated that there are probably 500 other people out there with the same opinion. Your personal letter is very important.

The following are sample letters. Your letter can be as simple as the first two examples, and still be very effective:

Dear County Supervisor,

Please support pay raises and health care benefits for home care workers. It is very important to me because I would like to be able to continue doing this work and I have to be able to survive on the wages.

Thank You.

Sincerely,

(Your Name and Address)

***************************

(put your county name) County Board of Supervisors;

As my representatives for this County, I am asking you to please give home care workers a living wage and medical benefits. We work hard, help the community, and can not survive on $X.XX (put the wage you make) with no medical coverage when we get sick.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

(Your Name and Address)

***************************

Dear Supervisor (put your supervisor’s name here),

My name is (put your name here), and I am from (put your city here).

I am a home care worker, which means I take care of my neighbor (put your client’s name here) in her home, through the IHSS program. I am writing you because I want you to know how important home care workers are to this community.

I help keep (client’s name) from having to live in an institution. She gets better care from me than if she was in one of those places. Without help from a home care worker like me, people like (client’s name) would cost the government at least three times what it costs to pay a home care worker and she has a much better life in her own home.

Because I care deeply for my client I am able to help in ways that would not be provided in an institution but I have to support myself as well. Please help us by recognizing home care work as a job – not welfare. We need a living wage, and medical benefits so that we can go to a doctor if we get sick. These things are so important. Home care workers are contributors to society, and not everyone is willing or able to do this work. We should be respected. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Name

Address – (Address and zip code are important)

Phone Calls:

When you call your local County Supervisors office (how to get the phone number), be sure to tell them your name and what city you live in so they know they represent you. It helps if you are registered to vote, and you can tell them that. If you are not registered to vote your call is still important. Just leave that part out from the example below:

Hello, my name is XXX and I am a registered voter from XXXX. I am calling your office because I am a home care worker and would like you to know how important your support is for home care workers. We do a very difficult job, one that is important for this community. Not everyone is able to do this kind of work and it saves the County and the State a lot of money to be able to hire workers in the home to keep people out of institutions. Please help us by recognizing home care work as a job – not welfare. We need a living wage, and medical benefits so that we can go to a doctor if we get sick. Please support us in our negotiations with the County. Thank you very much for your time.