Protest by Home-Care Workers Clogs Traffic

Waving placards, banging pots and wearing purple T-shirts that read “Invisible No More,” hundreds of government-paid home-care workers and their supporters brought downtown Los Angeles traffic to a standstill Tuesday morning to bring attention to their demands for pay raises and health insurance.

Traffic was snarled for nearly half an hour at the intersection of Temple Street and Grand Avenue where about 300 demonstrators rallied shortly before pouring into a Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors’ meeting.

While most motorists honked in support, a few engaged in shouting matches with the demonstrators--annoyed that their midmorning travels had come to a crawl. Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies and Los Angeles police arrived at the scene about 11 a.m. to break up the disturbance. No one was injured and no arrests were made, authorities said.

Last month, Gov. Gray Davis and the Legislature approved a five-year plan that will provide funding to raise home-care workers’ wages this year to $7.50 per hour with health benefits.

The plan also calls for an additional $1-per-hour raise for the next four years, reaching $11.50 per hour with benefits by 2005.

But for the 72,000 home-care workers in Los Angeles County, that was only half the battle. That’s because under the state plan, the federal government pays for almost half of the program, which provides at-home care to elderly and disabled clients who might otherwise need to live in state facilities. The state picks up about 65% of the remainder.

For the raise to reach fruition, Los Angeles County would have to fill in the rest.

Demanding that the county cough up the money, workers covered the steps of the Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration at 9:30 a.m. to press the county Board of Supervisors to approve a budget that would support a raise.

Despite impassioned testimony by caregivers and community members, the county has argued that the state should take full responsibility for the pay increases.

Workers now earn $6.25 per hour with no benefits.

“Zookeepers get paid more than we do and we take care of people,” said Tyrone Freeman, general manager of Service Employees International Union Local 434B, which organized the demonstration.

Joining the union in support Tuesday was an ad hoc network of more than 20 community groups calling itself Consumers, Caregivers and Community in Support of Home-Care Workers. The network is composed primarily of advocacy groups for women and the disabled. Officials said benefits and a livable wage are urgently needed to stabilize the work force and ensure quality care for more than 90,000 seniors and disabled in the county.

Nearly 85% of home-care workers are African American and Latino women. Many are single mothers, according to statistics from the network.

“It’s not just a labor issue, but a community issue,” said network member Mary Kalyna of Women With Visible and Invisible Disabilities. “Those that care for us must be paid.”