June 29, 2022 update:
The Los Angeles City Council has voted to pass SEIU-UHW’s ballot initiative to establish a $25/hr minimum wage for private sector healthcare workers who work in hospitals, integrated health systems, and dialysis clinics in the city of Los Angeles.
$25/hour minimum pay
If you are making less than $25/hour, your employer will be required to raise your pay once the ordinance is signed and fully adopted. The ordinance indexes the healthcare worker minimum wage annually to inflation.
No cuts to hours or staffing
The law explicitly forbids employers from cutting hours, staff, or services to raise wages. Our employers are making big profits during this pandemic — they have more than enough to raise wages.
Timeline
The next step is for Mayor Garcetti to sign the new law. Then we can expect it to go into effect before the end of this year.
We made this happen
The LA city council voted to pass this law because UHW members collected signatures to put the minimum wage increase on the ballot for this November’s election.
Why this matters
This is a big step towards fixing the staffing shortages, burnout and overwork that we are all facing. Our employers have failed to compensate us for our dedication and sacrifices, while they rake in big profits during this pandemic. They refuse to take serious action to fully staff our facilities and are always looking to cut wages and benefits.
Our employers want to cut pay and benefits. The minimum wage helps us fight back:
- Raising wages from the bottom pressures employers to raise wages for all of us
- It helps to retain workers who are considering leaving healthcare and recruit new ones — an critical part of fixing staffing shortages
- It sets a wage standard that puts us in a strong position when we bargain our next contract
- It’s tied to inflation, so if the cost of living keeps rising, wages will too
We’re just getting started
Los Angeles is leading the way, but we are already moving to win the $25 minimum wage in eight other cities: Downey, Long Beach, Inglewood, Lynwood, Duarte, Monterey Park, Baldwin Park and Culver City.
We are working to win a $25 minimum wage for all healthcare workers in California, raise wages for all healthcare workers, make sure our workplaces are fully staffed, and improve patient care for all Californians.
