Hundreds of thousands of California health care workers will see a big pay increase this week as a new minimum wage goes into effect.
More than 325,000 workers in health care facilities will see their hourly wages rise. Those working in rural, independent facilities will get a raise to $18 an hour, while those working in hospitals with more than 10,000 employees will get a raise to $23 an hour.
Another 75,000 workers who already earn a similar amount will also receive a raise.
Gov. Gavin Newsom last year signed into law SB 525, a new law that was originally scheduled to raise wages in June, but was delayed to address the state’s budget shortfall.
Professor John Logan, director of labor and employment studies at San Francisco State University, estimates that the new minimum wage will add an additional $5,000 to $6,000 a year, but he acknowledges that’s still not a huge amount here in the Bay Area. .
“But this shows the depth of the problem. Something needs to be done about it because some health workers were paid very poorly, especially in very expensive areas of the state where lodging costs are soaring.” “If we don’t move forward on this issue, we’re going to face very serious shortages and retention in patient care, and it’s not good that people are constantly quitting their jobs,” Logan said. Ta.
Logan said Los Angeles and Long Beach have already passed minimum wages for health care workers and there are no signs of layoffs. He suspects states such as Washington, New York and Minnesota may also enact minimum wages for health care workers.
