San Rafael, CA - With over 40 home care workers, seniors, people with disabilities, community leaders and members of the clergy in attendance, the Marin County Board of Supervisors voted to put an end to an effort to abandon the living wage ordinance.
The vote to support the living wage ordinance followed a more than 45-minute debate, during which more than a dozen members of the community spoke in favor of keeping the living wage ordinance intact. The debate concluded when Supervisor Steve Kinsey made a motion, seconded by Supervisor Charles McGlashan, which effectively ended any further consideration of altering Marin County's current Living Wage Ordinance by the Board. They were joined by Supervisor Susan Adams for the 3-2 vote.
"Today's vote is very heartening. It demonstrates the Supervisors' recognition that we are a community and share responsibility for protecting each other, especially in hard times," said Connie Barker, an In Home Supportive Services (IHSS) provider from San Rafael. "I want to thank the Board and commend them for taking an important and principled stand for a living wage and against balancing budgets on the backs of our most vulnerable."
Reverend Pamela Griffith Pond, the Executive Director of the Marin Interfaith Worker Justice, who spoke at the meeting, added, "This morning's victory shows how much can be accomplished when faith, labor, and other community organizations work together towards a common goal. In 2001, we collaborated to pass a living wage ordinance that included In-Home Supportive Services workers. Last year, after a hard-fought, two-year campaign, we were able to secure compensation parity under the ordinance for IHSS workers. Today, we have ensured that Marin's Living Wage Ordinance will continue to provide the same compensation threshold for IHSS workers that other covered workers enjoy."
The Board of Supervisors updated the Living Wage Ordinance last November to include IHSS providers, which increased providers' hourly pay from $11.50 to $11.55 per hour. The proposal voted down today would have allowed the county to cut provider wages by $1.50 hour. This would have placed providers in a separate tier from other workers covered by the ordinance and create a "non" Living Wage for the over 1,500 IHSS providers in the County
The county expressed concern about potential state cuts to IHSS services. However, cuts to IHSS wages and services have been stopped through federal lawsuits filed by the Service Employees International Union - United Healthcare Workers West (SEIU-UHW) and other unions and disability groups. Further, leaders in Washington, D.C. have actually increased funding to the county for the program, to protect the county against the current economic crisis.
The living wage ordinance was passed in 2002 by the Board of Supervisors to alleviate the strain on county services and to help promote an acceptable living standard for workers. The Board members recognized that when people face economic insecurity, including when employers fail to pay a living wage, they turn to county-provided social and health services. In fact, while Marin is one of the nation's wealthiest counties, its "living wage" is low when compared with two other Northern California counties that have a similar law. The "living wage" for workers without benefits is $14.81 in Santa Cruz and $13.03 in San Francisco.
"We all know that pay affects our ability to recruit and keep good home care providers. And keeping the living wage in Marin County goes a long way to keeping the good providers who might otherwise turn to other professions with real living wages," said Caroline McKinnon, a home care provider from Novato who cares for her daughter born with disabilities.
There are over 1,500 IHSS providers in Marin County serving over 1,600 seniors and people with disabilities making it possible for them to live safely and independently in their own homes. Without these services, many would be forced to move to institutional care that cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars more than IHSS.
Contact: Adriana Surfas, 510-541-4114
SEIU United Healthcare Workers-West (SEIU-UHW) is the largest hospital and healthcare union in the western United States with more than 150,000 members. We unite every type of healthcare worker with a mission to achieve high-quality healthcare for all. SEIU-UHW is part of the 2.1 million-member Service Employees International Union (SEIU), the nation's fastest-growing union. Learn more at www.seiu-uhw.org.
Source: SEIU-UHW