In-Home Care Workers Offer To Boost Health Pension Contributions
In-Home Supportive Services workers in San Mateo County are offering to increase their contributions to health care coverage and pension funds in response to a proposal by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) to cut funding to IHSS, the San Jose Mercury News reports.
The governor's proposal would eliminate in-home services for an estimated 2,469 individuals in the county, according to County Manager David Boesch (Eslinger, San Jose Mercury News, 8/17).
The proposal, which is part of the governor's effort to address the state's ongoing budget crisis, would slash about $637 million from the IHSS program.
Throughout the state, approximately 416,000 residents depend on in-home services provided by the $5.7 billion program (Oakley, Contra Costa Times, 8/15).
On Monday, San Mateo IHSS workers who are members of the Service Employees International Union rallied to pressure the county to maintain current staffing levels for the program.
SEIU is negotiating with the county for a new contract, which expired on June 30.
Khanh Weinberg, an SEIU spokesperson, said the county could provide financial support for the IHSS program if it eliminated finances related to consultant contracts and expensive benefit packages for managers.
She added that providing in-home care for residents with limited mobility and other health problems is less expensive than moving them into an assisted-living facility (San Jose Mercury News, 8/17).
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