A U.S. District Court judge issued a preliminary injunction last month ordering the state of California to halt pay cuts of nearly 20 percent -- from $12.10 an hour down to $9.50 -- for the state's 400,000 home care workers. The injunction, issued by federal judge Claudia Wilken, has the effect of stopping pay cuts in all California counties that were planning on passing the state cut through to their home care workers, beginning on July 1, 2009.
Sounds like a pretty cut-and-dry ruling...until you remember that you're dealing with Governor Schwarzenegger, who apparently stands above the law [unless he's the one making it]. The Governor and CA state officials are refusing to abide by Judge Wilken's preliminary injunction preventing the slashing of salaries for in-home caregivers. SEIU is fighting back by filing a motion in U.S. District Court, asking the court to hold the State in contempt for illegally cutting the wages of IHSS workers in defiance of the earlier court order.
Since Judge Wilken's ruling, numerous counties have submitted requests to reinstate IHSS worker pay--but State officials are claiming that they need 60 days to process the requests. "Instead of honoring the court's decision and keeping our pay as it is, the State is dragging its feet, making up excuses, and placing this lifeline service in jeopardy," said Mary Harms, a Contra Costa County home care worker.
The Governor vowed again last week, in a brief question and answer period from reporters, that he would not sign any budget deal that included any tax increases, saying "I made this very real clear that I will never sign a budget with tax increases or extra fees or other kind of trickery that is proposed. I will not a budget that is a partial budget - we want to address the entire $26 billion - we want to do it making the necessary cuts and also getting rid of the waste and abuse that is going on within those programs." Most people--myself included--would not qualify providing social services for people who need it, like the elderly or persons with disabilities--as a "waste" of the state's budget.
Speaker of the House Karen Bass said last week of Schwarzenegger: "I do believe he is completely overstating it and making IHSS as though it is some huge part of the budget, when it is actually 1.5 % of the state budget...the IHSS program saves money in the long run because it prevents people from being in nursing homes. What shouldn't we be wasting any of, in Speaker Bass's opinion? Time. "I just believe that we really don't have any time to waste - and what is most important that we close the deficit. The issue of reforms are critical - but we can begin the reform process the day after the budget revision is signed." Please call the Governor now and tell him: "Home care not only saves money, it saves lives. We need a common sense budget that protects home care."
