New contract with Napa County home health workers includes pay boost, training
Napa County appear to be close to a new contract for more than 1,550 local in-home care workers.
The union representing caregivers for seniors and those with disabilities said on Wednesday that it reached a tentative agreement the last week of 2023 with county labor negotiators. If ratified, it would include a 18% boost in pay — to $20 an hour — plus health insurance and $10,000 a year for training.
The final agreement is set to be ratified by union members by Jan. 19 and go to the county Board of Supervisors for a vote at its Jan. 23 meeting, according to the union.
A Napa County spokesperson confirmed that a tentative deal was reached and it is currently set for board discussion Jan. 23, pending ratification, but deferred comment on the terms of the pending contract until after the supervisors take action.
The previous contract between SEIU Local 2015 and the county In-Home Support Services Public Authority ran from June 2020 through June 2023. It included pay at the state minimum wage ($15.50 an hour in 2023) plus a one-time hourly increase of $1.45, amounting to $16.95 per hour last year.
California’s minimum wage increased to $16 an hour as of Jan. 1. For health care workers, that’s set to go up to at least $21 on June 1.
“$20 an hour will be a great benefit because I can better provide for my family and my care recipient,” said Joela Trujillo, a local home health provider of 15 years and union bargaining team member, though a translator. “This victory was possible because we came together as a union — working together, we can accomplish anything.”
The organization said the $10,000 a year for training the Napa County workers includes CPR instruction and is a key component of the deal.
“Our goal is to continue to improve the caregiving profession by making sure our members have access to training and capacity building opportunities,” union spokesperson Mara Ortenburger wrote in an email.
SEIU Local 2015 said it represents nearly 450,000 California long-term care workers in homes, skilled nursing facilities and assisted-living centers. The union said it has inked over 90 new California contracts in the past three years and has contract bargaining underway or about to begin in Solano, Sonoma, Marin, Mendocino and Lake counties.
Jeff Quackenbush covers wine, construction and real estate. Reach him at jquackenbush@busjrnl.com or 707-521-4256.
Update, Jan. 4, 2024, 2 p.m.: Comments from the Napa County public information officer were added.
