HomeMy WebLinkAboutLetter from IHSS 6-2-10 T BUTTE COUNTY
O IN HOME SUPPORTIVE SERVICES
O
o .r'` ADVISORY COMMITTEE
� ]BOARD OF SUPERW80n,9
0 �" O
July 2,2010
��0
Butte County Board of Supervisors JUL1u� 0 10
25 County Center Drive OROVILLE,CAUFORNIA
Oroville, CA 95965
Dear Board of Supervisors:
Mark Gordon
Chair Since negotiations are underway,the Butte County In Home Supportive
Recipient Services Advisory Committee would like you to consider the significant changes
that have been made to the program. These changes greatly challenge both
Daniel Grover recipient and provider. We are hoping that negotiations are as expedient as
Vice-Chair possible. The longer the negotiations the longer program members will be
Recipient affected by these significant changes.
Patricia Anthony The first significant challenge is that new provider orientations are no
Recipient longer offered in Chico as they used to be. Currently if a recipient in Chico, the
Margery Avila largest population in the county,needs to hire a provider,they have to inform the
Recipient potential provider that a required orientation is only available in Oroville. This is
56 miles of travel (roundtrip to Oroville)before ever receiving a dime in pay.
Dorothy Churchill
Recipient The second significant challenge brought on by recent legislation is
mandatory fingerprinting and Department of Justice (DOJ)background checks
Domenic Console of providers. A recipient now has the compounding challenge of finding
Provider qualified worker(s)for very low wages, who is willing to drive unreimbursed 56
Laura Funkhouser miles for an orientation, and upon arrival pay out of pocket upwards of$65.00
Agency Representative for fingerpnntmg/DOJ background check. Furthermore,the DOJ background
check may take up to three weeks leaving the recipient with no provider for
Robin Keehn those three weeks.
Agency Representative
The third significant challenge is the more than doubling of the Union
Cheryl Leeth dues last time negotiations took place. This negatively affected the provider's
County Representative wages, especially those providers who work lower hours. All providers make
$8.15 an hour; however,when Union dues are taken into account it can greatly
Sarah Okumbe affect the actual hourly net rate. For example a provider who works 16 hours a
Provider month when Union dues are taken into account only nets$5.69 an hour. For a
provider who works 28 hours a month when Union dues are taken into account
nets $7.13 an hour. So with as little as a 12 hour difference a month there is a
difference of$1.44 in net hourly wage. Please,please understand this example
and its implications when making decisions during negations.
L,Z P.O. Box 851., Oroville, CA 95965 530/538-7100
C 6D-51 9a!6r` f
2
BUTTE COUNTY
YN HOME SUPPOitmE SERVICES
ADvisoRY COMMITTEE
Furthermore, all of these changes have been made politically. Politicians made
these changes; recipients and providers did not. There was no public outcry from either
IHSS recipients or providers enacting these changes.
"Know that no one is silent though many are not heard" (Syracuse Cultural
Workers)
Given the choice no rational person would choose to drive unreimbursed for a job,
have out of pocket expenses(finger printing)before ever working,or have wages that are
unfairly affected because of employment fees.
The IHSS Advisory Committee recognizes that the decisions regarding
fingerprinting and DOJ background checks are not made at the County level,however
please account for these new influencing factors during negotiations. These issues affect
the overall picture of maintaining a functional Butte County IHSS system that fairly meets
the needs of recipients and providers alike.
In closing,we want to remind you that the role of the Butte County IHSS
Committee is to provide you with ongoing advice and recommendations regarding IHSS
services. Please do not hesitate to contact the Committee at any time.
Sincerely,
7"OMX twn46"
Mark Gordon, Chair of the Butte County IHSS Advisory Committee
Email: markallen5@aol.com
DGrover,Vice Chair of the Butte County IHSS Advisory Committee
Email: seetheshow@sbcglobal.net
Cc: Butte County Board of Supervisors: Bill Connelly,Jane Dolan,Maureen Kirk, Steve
Lambert,Kim Yamaguchi,Assistant Clerk of the Board Kathleen Moghannam
P.O. Box 851, Oroville, CA 95965 5301538-7100