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Employment agreement reached with UDW

Agreement will increase pay for In-Home Supportive Services providers

The Riverside County Board of Supervisors today ratified an employment agreement with United Domestic Workers, AFCSME Local 3930. The agreement memorializes the current wage of in-home supportive services (IHSS) workers, which was increased to $12 an hour in January 2019 to remain in line with increases to the state’s minimum wage laws.

The agreement also sets forth future wage increases, both a result of the increasing minimum wage and two negotiated increases totaling $.50 per hour. The final increase will be on Jan. 1, 2022, when the state hourly wage will increase to $15 an hour. These adjustments are the county’s efforts to bring hourly wages in line with compensation from comparable counties for IHSS workers. The three-year agreement passed on a 3-0 vote (Supervisors Perez and Washington were absent).

“This three-year agreement with UDW is both fair for employees and the county,” said Board of Supervisors Chair Kevin Jeffries. “We made tremendous efforts to reach agreements with some of our labor unions, and we continue to strive to reach agreements with the others.”

Additional costs associated with this contract include contributions to a health insurance fund, developed by the Riverside County Public Authority and administered by UDW. The health insurance contributions will be $0.57 per hour. In addition, training courses will be offered for IHSS providers, including courses on first-aid, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (commonly referred to as CPR), and caregiving essentials.

IHSS workers provide in-home care and personal services to low-income individuals who are either elderly or disabled. The assistance provided by IHSS workers allows individuals to stay in their homes or continue working.

The county costs for this fiscal year are $4 million, $6.3 million for next fiscal year, and $4.5 million in the final fiscal year. These figures represent the county’s costs, which account for 17 percent of the entire contract. The federal government will cover 53 percent of the costs, and the state will cover 30 percent.

Negotiations continue with other labor unions.

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