SACRAMENTO —
Californians who work in hospitals and other medical settings, including receptionists, cleaners and security guards, could see a significant raise after the state Legislature approved a $25 hourly minimum wage requirement Thursday night.
The fate of the bill is now in the hands of Gov. Gavin Newsom, and comes after a hard-fought deal between unions calling for more support for employees deemed essential workers in the pandemic and industry administrators concerned about costs as financially struggling health facilities brace for closure.
Last-minute amendments to the bill — including a provision that blocks cities and counties from hiking wages locally for the next decade — reflect concessions made to employers in an attempt to get it past the finish line.
Even union-friendly Democrats were initially reluctant to approve the worker-focused bill, worried that rural community hospitals already facing bankruptcy would collapse under mass wage increases or pass costs on to patients.
Under the bill, workers at large healthcare facilities would earn $23 per hour starting next year, $24 per hour in 2025 and $25 in 2026. That applies to all staff, including nursing assistants, medical coders, launderers and hospital gift shop workers.
On Thursday, in the final hours of California’s Legislative session, the bill, SB 525, was approved by lawmakers after months of negotiations with unions and lobbyists representing nurses, hospitals and dialysis clinics.
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