take action - Support local in-home caregivers

9/7/2020 Update

Friends,

We are asking you to take two important actions to support local in-home supportive services (IHSS) workers. IHSS workers are essential workers. The majority of them truly work on the front line of the Covid-19 pandemic.

SEIU2015 represents over 180 IHSS caregivers in Colusa County. The union has been negotiating with the County since early this year to obtain a modest wage increase for their members. Because most of their wages are paid with state and federal funds, a wage increase would actually cost Colusa County very little. The union's final meeting with the county's negotiators is coming up.

Here are two things you can do right now to help these essential workers obtain a more fair wage:

Send an email to your Supervisor before Tuesday, Sept. 15. Also we would appreciate it if you would send a copy of your email to indivisiblecolusa@gmail.com. We are collecting supportive emails to give to the union to present along with the emails/letters they have collected from their members and the community. We have provided a sample email below. If you contacted your Supervisor earlier this year about this, please do so again!
Attend the 9/15 Board of Supervisors meeting to show your support for our local IHSS workers. The union organizer, Cesar Alvarado, will be there with union members and they're asking for community support. Cesar will be giving out SEIU2015's purple tshirts before the meeting if you'd like to show your support by wearing their shirt. Also if you can say a few words during the public comment period, that would be great (it's perfectly fine to read something you've written in advance). MEET US AT 8:30 AM outside the Courthouse in Colusa at Market St. near 6th St. The meeting starts at 9 AM sharp and we'll be out of there by 9:15.
If you can't attend in person, please call in. Here's a link to the Board of Supervisors' site where they post meeting agendas with the in-person and call-in details.

Here's a sample email. It's always more powerful if you can include a few sentences about why you personally feel strongly about this issue.

Dear Supervisor _____:

I’m writing in support of raising wages for In-Home Supportive Services providers in Colusa County. I believe the members of our community who care for the elderly, disabled, and vulnerable should be treated fairly for the work they do. This means being paid a living wage and having a fair contract with Colusa County. If their contract does not improve, it will be more difficult to recruit and retain sufficient workers to meet our County’s needs, and our most vulnerable residents will suffer.

Considering that the state and federal governments fund 85% of wages and benefits, choosing NOT to invest in the IHSS program is akin to leaving money on the table. Also, by keeping wages stagnant, our local economy loses. A wage increase for IHSS workers brings in new dollars to Colusa County’s businesses -- economic activity that our county desperately needs as it recovers from the economic devastation of COVID-19.

[optional: insert a few personal sentences about why you feel strongly about this.]

I urge the Board of Supervisors to invest in local in-home caregiving services and support economic growth in our county by raising wages for the Colusa County IHSS workers.

Sincerely,

[your name]

[your town]

Here are the email addresses of the County Supervisors. Not sure who is your Supervisor? Click here for a map of the supervisorial districts.