Shasta home care workers file unfair labor practice charge against county

Shasta home care workers have filed an unfair labor practice charge against the county after supervisors rescinded a previously-offered wage increase without documenting an appropriate reason for it, their union announced in a press release yesterday. 

The union has also declared a labor impasse, essentially saying that workers have deadlocked with supervisors on wage discussions and require the help of the state to mediate the process. 

Around 75 workers from Shasta’s In-Home Supportive Services staff packed the board of supervisors chambers during yesterday’s meeting, creating a sea of purple in the audience. About a dozen workers spoke during the public comment period. 

During the first speech, several workers silently rose to their feet in the audience in solidarity, prompting board Chair Chris Kelstrom to reprimand them. As the union group left toward the end of public comment, they filled the room with a call and response chant related to wages, briefly drowning out other voices in the room and prompting law enforcement to move forward.

Across the state, IHSS workers are represented by labor union SEIU 2015, which represents home care and nursing home workers and is California’s largest labor union. In Shasta, more than 4,500 workers provide in-home care to over 4,700 older adults and people with disabilities, according to a press release from the union. That care includes paramedical, personal care and household services.

IHSS workers are employed county-by-county, where they negotiate contracts with the counties whose residents they serve. In Shasta, state data shows that IHSS workers make slightly less than the state average for in-home care workers: Shasta workers make $18.50 an hour, while the state average is about $18.86 an hour. 

According to the union’s press release, Shasta’s IHSS workers have been negotiating in good faith for more than a year, “but the Board of Supervisors have failed to make any compromises that address the caregiver shortage.”

The newly-filed unfair labor practice charge is driven by a December decision, the union said, when supervisors rescinded an earlier offer to provide a 40-cent wage increase over the next two years. The board claimed the change was necessary due to the county’s financial circumstances, in part because of federal budget cuts passed in the Big Beautiful Bill, according to the union.

SEIU 2015 is filing the unfair practice charge with the California Public Employment Relations Board, or PERB, which oversees labor relations between most state employers and their employees. The union said it’s not clear what changed between last August — when supervisors reaffirmed the wage increase — and December when the previous wage offer was rescinded, something it said the county has failed to explain.

“Shasta Supervisors’ actions at the bargaining table are a violation of state law and we will not standby as they continue to devalue Shasta’s IHSS workforce and exacerbate the healthcare crisis,” SEIU 2015 Chief Negotiator Laticia Guerrero said in the release. 

Shasta CEO David Rickert and board Chair Chris Kelstrom have not responded to requests for comment.

According to the union, low wages contribute to a shortage of IHSS workers in the county. Without such workers, some individuals would need to be placed in hospitals or residential facilities, “increasing hospital and long-term care facility visits and driving up costs for the county and state.” 

“This isn’t just a ‘job,’ it takes a person with a huge heart to remain in a position with no option for advancement, no 401k, no vision, no dental, no medical insurance, no paid vacation days,” IHSS worker Susan McMains said in the press release. “The work we do keeps families together and helps ensure those who need long-term care have the freedom to choose where they receive that care—the least Shasta Supervisors can do is pay us enough to provide for ourselves and families.” 

In addition to filing the unfair practice charge, the union has also declared an impasse in negotiations, the press release explained, which could lead to a fact-finding process to determine settlement terms. The fact-finding process would be conducted by a panel that includes representatives from SEIU 2015, the county and a neutral third party, who would serve as the chairperson of the panel. 

The union said that if the fact-finding process results in settlement terms that are more favorable to the union than the county’s current offer of no wage increases, the county could face a $1 million annual penalty from the state unless supervisors agree to the terms. 

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