A new bill in California is aimed to increase the wages of healthcare workers to $25 per hour over the next ten years. This bill would affect the nearly 455,000 healthcare workers employed at hospitals, clinics, and other facilities, not including physicians and nurses.
The wages will gradually increase for healthcare workers, depending on where they work. For example, employees who work for larger health care facilities and dialysis clinics can expect their wages to increase to $23 per hour by next year, then $25 per hour by 2026.
Employees at rural hospitals can expect their salaries to increase to $18 per hour next year, with a 3.5% increase annually until it reaches $25 per hour, in 2033. Healthcare workers employed at community clinics can expect their salaries to increase to $21 per hour by 2024 and to $25 per hour by 2027. All other covered healthcare facilities can expect their wages to increase to $21 per hour next year and then to $25 by 2028.
Tia Orr, the Executive Director of the Services Employees International Union-California had the following to say regarding the proposed wage increase:
“Everyone in the healthcare sector understands that we have a workforce crisis, and that wages are the essential prerequisite for any solution. With this increase, more workers will join and stay in the healthcare workforce, and as a result Californians will be safer and better cared for.”
A separate bill is also set to raise the minimum wage for fast food employees to $20 per hour. California has one of the highest minimum wages in the country at $15.50 per hour. What do you think of this new proposed bill for healthcare and food service employees?
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