Minimum Wage for Healthcare Workers

Healthcare workers have put themselves and their families at risk to save lives and care for others during this pandemic. Many have left their jobs, and more are considering leaving soon. Raising the minimum wage will help retain workers.

Even before the pandemic, California already faced a shortage of 500,000 healthcare workers needed to care for our aging population. Now, we are facing a full-blown crisis. In a recent survey of allied healthcare workers in California, 83% said their department is either “severely” or “somewhat” understaffed. Making sure healthcare jobs pay enough will help attract the workers we need.

Healthcare corporations received billions of dollars in government funding during the pandemic. At the same time, many of them sharply increased their financial investments, to turn big profits. Meanwhile, inflation and the rising cost of living is hurting working families. The healthcare worker minimum wage will ensure that federal funds and corporate profits are invested in frontline caregivers first.