Fernando Torres-Gil, professor of social welfare and public policy, spoke to the Sacramento Bee about the In-Home Support Services Employee-Employer Relations Act. This bill would allow in-home caregivers in California to unite under one statewide bargaining unit, negotiating with the Department of Health Care Services for better wages and conditions rather than with their individual counties. Currently, in-home caregivers make only within a dollar or two of the state minimum wage — meaning that they are struggling to make ends meet. “We have a crisis. We have a huge and growing unmet need. We have a workforce that has been disrespected, and there are fewer people willing to do this kind of work,” Torres-Gil said. The need for in-home care for low-income, disabled and aging Californians is expected to surge in the coming years.