Marin’s County “living wage” charge and its pay for residential care aides will enhance on Jan. 1.
The dwelling wage will rise from $18 per hour to $18.70. The speed for employees with the In-House Supportive Providers Public Authority of Marin, or IHSS, will rise from $19 per hour to $19.50.
Adopted in 2002, the dwelling wage ordinance requires county contractors and subcontractors doing $25,000 value of enterprise or extra to offer a minimal wage to their workers that’s increased than the state minimal wage.
“It also requires the county executive to provide an annual report on the effect of the living wage, if any, and also to make a recommendation regarding any adjustments to the living wage,” Dan Eilerman, assistant county govt, informed supervisors on Tuesday.
The supervisors authorised the 70-cent hike within the dwelling wage beneficial by the county govt’s workplace. The advice mirrored a 3.8% enhance within the Bay Space client worth index from April 2023 to April 2024.
Along with contractors and subcontractors working for the county, the dwelling wage hike additionally impacts a small variety of county worker classifications. The positions embody library aide, county providers employee 1, occasion attendant and parks and open house seasonal assistant.
Eilerman stated the rise to $18.70 an hour will end in lower than a $50,000 annual rise in county expense.
“The larger impact of the living wage ordinance for many years has been for IHSS providers,” Eilerman stated.
That’s as a result of in previous years the county’s dwelling wage charge was increased than the speed paid to IHSS employees. In consequence, when the dwelling wage charge rose, so did the pay charge of IHSS employees. For instance, a 12 months in the past, the county raised its dwelling wage charge from $16.80 to $18 an hour. That raised the speed for IHSS employees from $16.95 to $18.
This 12 months, nonetheless, the rise in Marin’s dwelling wage gained’t have an effect on wages for IHSS employees as a result of their union negotiated a brand new contract in June that elevated the pay to $19 per hour.
However, the Board of Supervisors authorised the rise to $19.50 per hour. The price shall be borne totally by the state.
A mix of federal, state and county funding gives the cash to pay IHSS employees. The federal authorities covers 50% of the fee, the state covers 32.5% and counties cowl 17.5%.
The state foots the fee to make sure that IHSS wages stay $3 per hour increased than the state minimal wage. The state minimal wage is slated to rise from $16 to $16.50 in January, so the state will cowl the pay hike in Marin.
Beneath the phrases of the brand new contract, Marin IHSS employees’ hourly wage will rise one other 25 cents, to $19.75 per hour, in February. The county will bear the price of that enhance as a result of the state solely contributes as much as a ten% enhance in wages and advantages over any three-year interval.
The wage hikes did not fulfill advocates for increased pay.
Rollie Katz, govt director of the Marin Affiliation of Public Staff, stated {that a} full-time worker incomes $18.70 an hour would make lower than $40,000 per 12 months.
“I think it’s important for us to remember,” Katz stated, “that $40,000 a year is not a living wage.”
Victoria Holdridge faulted county workers for not together with San Francisco in a comparability they supplied of the IHSS hourly charges in seven different Northern California counties. IHSS employees in San Mateo County will obtain the best wages: $21.30 per hour by Feb. 1. IHSS employees in Santa Barbara will get $18.67 per hour by then. IHHS employees in San Francisco make $21.50 per hour.
Holdridge stated it is very important take what employees in San Francisco are being paid into consideration as a result of Marin has to compete with San Francisco for caregivers.
Mary Ellen Jenkins, a member of the Marin Organizing Committee, requested, “Are we meeting the needs of people who qualify for IHSS caregivers, or is there still a waiting list of people needing care?”
Dario Santiago, govt director of the IHSS Public Authority of Marin, stated, “We get around 100 requests for a caregiver per month, and we have around 50 caregivers available to serve clients per month.”
Santiago, nonetheless, stated recruitment and retention of caregivers has improved. He stated that in 2023 the company’s aim was to recruit 10 caregivers per thirty days, and it recruited about 9. This 12 months, the authority has recruited about 19 caregivers per thirty days by October.
As well as, Santiago stated, the company has retained 77% of its caregivers this 12 months in comparison with 57% final 12 months.
The brand new IHSS contract allotted $75,000 to offer incentive funds to caregivers who work by its registry and $6,500 in different incentives. The contract additionally gives a $200 bonus to IHSS employees serving individuals in West Marin to assist compensate for lengthy commutes.
However, Santiago stated, attracting caregivers to work in West Marin stays a problem.
Initially Printed:
