Here’s why I propose that Sacramento’s health care workers make at least $25 an hour | Opinion

At our last Law and Legislation Committee meeting, I heard testimonies from local health care workers. These individuals — who survived the COVID pandemic and continue to work full time to take care of us and our loved ones — spoke about having to sleep in their cars, taking on second jobs and struggling with whether to remain in health care because they simply don’t make enough money to justify doing the work they love.

Some of Sacramento’s essential health care workers are earning as little as $15.50 an hour — that’s roughly $32,000 for a full-time job — California’s minimum wage. Here in Sacramento, that means they would be paying around 75% of their salary to afford a market-rate, one-bedroom apartment.

Low pay, overwhelming workloads and risky working conditions are making it hard to retain our current health care workforce and to recruit new employees into the health care industry. People who work hard every day to help others should be able to pay rent, buy groceries and provide for their families.

These are our constituents, neighbors and caregivers. Health care workers who are unable to make ends meet while working full-time is bad policy for our community.

This is why I’m leading the effort for the City of Sacramento to pass a Health care Worker Minimum Wage Ordinance which would establish a $25 per hour floor for wages for all individuals who work at health care facilities in the city of Sacramento.

While many cities across the state have taken similar steps (and the state legislature is currently considering a bill to make this requirement statewide), this hourly wage rate is a significant issue right here in our community. The MIT Living Wage Calculator says that a living wage for two working adults with two children in Sacramento County is $27.82 an hour for each adult. While this ordinance falls just short of that calculation, it is a critical step toward ensuring that working families in our city can afford to make ends meet.

As the capitol city, we are no stranger to bold, brave policy making. Sacramento needs to show California that we stand with our health care workers.

Unfortunately, however, my colleagues on the Law and Legislation Committee were not convinced. They requested a robust regional economic and health impact assessment, which will take months and potentially thousands of dollars to complete. Meanwhile, our essential health care workers will continue to struggle to take care of themselves and their families.

I know one thing for certain: I don’t need a study to tell me that people doing lifesaving work while making less than $25 an hour is bad policy.

I am proud to stand with health care workers to ensure that Sacramento residents and their families are well cared for. We all deserve medical facilities that are safely staffed, and health care workers deserve a salary that meets their needs.

This story was originally published July 29, 2023 at 5:00 AM.