LAKEPORT — After a lengthy public hearing on Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors decided that the union representing In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) providers and the IHSS Public Authority (PA) should return to the bargaining table.
The purpose of Tuesday”s hearing was for the Board of Supervisors, sitting as the board of directors for the PA, to decide on a course of action since the PA had declared an impasse in their negotiations with the United Domestic Workers of America (UDW).
The attorney leading the negotiations for UDW, Elizabeth Garfield, was adamant that they were not at the point of impasse. “Under your employee relations policy, it charges you to take the best action for the public,” Garfield said, noting that declaring an impasse is not the best course of action to take.
“I recommend instead that we sit down together and get this thing done,” Garfield implored the board. She even offered to do it yesterday afternoon, as all negotiators were at the meeting.
The board discussed giving IHSS providers an immediate $1 an hour raise, require them to submit to background checks and random drug testing, then return to negotiations.
But County Counsel Anita Grant told the board that during this impasse hearing they could only give what was already on the table and that did not include “the conditions of quality assurance ? it has to be agreed upon by the union.”
After presentations by the lead negotiators for both the PA and the IHSS union, and public input by IHSS providers and recipients, the board decided that negotiations should resume.
The union proposed an $8.15 wage for all current IHSS providers, including those not on the registry. Being on the registry means they apply to become a provider, give references and receive a criminal background check before being hired, and receive training.
The board is opposed to giving that large of a raise to those not on the registry.
The IHSS program is a state-mandated program that allows IHSS recipients to hire whomever they want. As such, the PA does not have the authority to prevent someone from becoming a provider if a recipient of services wants them ? regardless of whether or not that person uses drugs and has criminal history.
County Social Services Director Carol Huchingson said there were approximately 1,500 IHSS providers in the county — and less than 400 are on the registry.
“We”re doing our best right now to offer a $2 an hour increase and your own members are welcoming that idea,” Anthony Farrington, vice-chair of the public authority board, said, “and going back to the table and focus on the derelicts that won”t go on the registry — it”s that simple. I think we can reach a tentative agreement right here and bring it back for ratification.”
“We”re talking about paying those good caregivers more and to hell with the rest of them,” District 5 Supervisor Rob Brown said to a round of applause from union members.
Farrington summarized the opinions of the PA board and made a motion that their representatives for negotiations go back to the table to discuss giving a raise to those on the registry, and provide financial compensation to those who complete trainings.
Farrington moved for, “consideration of a wage increase in the amount of $2.00 per hour up to $8.75 an hour, in which .60 cents of that can be utilized for health benefits. That wage would only apply to those IHSS providers that enroll into the registry by requiring criminal background checks … negotiating the other quality assurance items such as the concept of mandatory drug testing to get on the registry and also training — with also the footnote that consideration be given to an hourly compensation to IHSS providers that do go through the training.”
The motions was quickly seconded by District 5 Supervisor Rob Brown.
Garfield said that the union is “very open at looking at using the registry and rewarding those people.”
What they”re not open to is keeping the minimum wage for those providers who are not willing to submit to drug testing, background checks and receive training.
But those are points for future negotiations where the sticking point will be wages for IHSS providers who will not — or can not because they won”t qualify — sign on to the registry.
At the end of the long meeting, Garfield said that they were encouraged. “We get to go back to the bargaining table. We want to make sure we have a high quality program. In the counties where we”ve negotiated a higher wage, the quality of the program has increased.”
Farrington said the board is “optimistic.”
“I think the whole board showed strong leadership today on behalf of the IHSS providers and recipients as well.”
Contact Terre Logsdon at tlogsdon@record-bee.com.
