Orange County provider Diana Rice marches with other UDW members and supporters at a rally outside a Board of Supervisors meeting on March 27, 2018.

From Butte to Orange County, providers are packing Board of Supervisor meetings with a sea of UDW green and demanding that counties #SupportCaregivers with a pay raise that will show us respect—and help pay our bills.

UDW caregivers in Tuolumne County recently won a new contract with better wages and benefits.

“If it wasn’t for our union, we wouldn’t have gotten this,” said UDW caregiver Susan Lipscomb, who served as a member of the bargaining team. “And it opens the door for next negotiations to be positive negotiations.”

But other counties have not been willing to give providers a much-needed raise, like in Orange County where negotiations have stalled after a year and a half of being at the bargaining table.

“To have a pay raise would mean we could afford to get my son the therapy and treatment he needs and improve his quality of life overall,” said Diana Rice, an IHSS provider in Orange County.