SACRAMENTO —
Many California healthcare workers — from nursing assistants and medical coders to cleaners and security guards — will see at least $25 an hour starting in 2026 after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill on Friday that mandates an industry minimum wage statewide.
The first-in-the-nation legislation was backed by unions who said more pay is necessary to stem the state’s healthcare worker shortage and improve patient care, pointing to burnout exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Today California is putting a stop to the hemorrhaging of our care workforce by ensuring healthcare workers can do the work they love and pay their bills — a huge win for workers and patients seeking care,” Tia Orr, executive director of SEIU California, said in a written statement, commending “the courage and commitment” of healthcare workers during the pandemic.
Under the new law, workers at large healthcare facilities will earn $23 an hour starting next year, $24 an hour in 2025 and $25 in 2026. That applies to all staff, including launderers and hospital gift shop workers.
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Employees at independent rural hospitals and facilities that serve high rates of Medicare and Medi-Cal patients, however, will see $18 an hour next year and won’t reach $25 an hour until 2033.
Other smaller workplaces, including urgent care clinics and skilled nursing facilities, are required to pay employees $21 an hour next year, reaching $25 an hour in 2028.
Newsom, whose decisions on labor laws are...
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