Hundreds of healthcare workers plan to rally in downtown Los Angeles on Friday, Sept. 9, urging support for a statewide $25 minimum wage.
The workers, represented by SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West, say the momentum is building after city councils in Los Angeles, Downey, Monterey Park and Long Beach passed ordinances establishing a $25 minimum wage.
Selene Castillo, a certified nursing assistant at Dignity St. Mary’s Medical Center in Long Beach, said the work she and her coworkers do is “physically, mentally and emotionally demanding.”
“We do this job, risking our own health and safety because we truly care about helping people,” Castillo said in a statement. “We deserve to make a fair living wage.”
Castillo said one of her co-workers who started during the pandemic recently quit and left the medical field because of the mental strain and long hours.
“I’ve seen many people come and go because of the low wages, high stress and health risks,” she said.
A recent survey of more than 30,000 SEIU-UHW members highlights the short-staffing crisis in California, with 83% of respondents saying their facility is understaffed and up to 20% saying they’ve considered leaving the field in the past year.
Cities that have approved $25 minimum wage ordinances have come under fire because the increase applies to healthcare employees in private hospitals, integrated health systems and dialysis clinics while excluding employees who do the same jobs at public hospitals and healthcare...
A new exchange of sharp political statements has emerged after US President Donald Trump made claims on Truth Social that were directly rejected by Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghaliba...