Sacramento, California.- California Democrats agreed to delay an increase in the minimum wage for some 426,000 health care workers to help balance the state’s budget.
The agreement between Gov. Gavin Newsom and legislative leaders is part of a broader plan to eliminate a deficit of about $46.8 billion, the second consecutive year that the most populous state in the United States has had a multibillion-dollar deficit.
Health care workers were supposed to receive a raise on July 1, part of a plan to gradually increase their pay to $25 an hour over the next decade. Now, if the state Congress approves it next week, they could get that increase on October 15, but only if California’s income between July and September is at least 3% higher than estimated by the authorities.
If not, the increase will not begin until January 1 at the latest.
The delay preserves a hard-won victory for one of the state’s largest unions, and one of the Democrats’ biggest campaign donors. Dave Regan, president of the Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers West, said workers are disappointed they won’t get raises this summer.
“But we also recognize and appreciate that legislative leaders and the governor listened to us when we stood up and spoke out this year to insist that, despite a historic budget shortfall, California’s patient care and healthcare workforce crisis must be addressed. health,” he said in a statement.
The minimum wage for most people in California is $16 an hour, which is already among the highest in the country. The minimum wage for most fast food workers in the state is $20 an hour, an increase that began in April and has had a ripple effect across the state.
#Increase #minimum #wage #health #workers #California #delayed