What you should know
- The wage increase will be $25 per hour.
- This would help some 500 health workers in Lynwood, including those who work in dialysis clinics.
- Those who work in county clinics will not have this benefit.
The City of Lynwood has passed an ordinance that will increase the minimum wage of a group of workers from the Saint Francis Medical Center.
The wage increase will be $25 per hour. With this approval, Lynwood joins other cities like Los Angeles and Long Beach in raising the minimum wage for this industry.
“I heard they didn’t have money to feed their children,” said Mayra Castañeda, a health worker. “To the point where they buy cafeteria food at work to take home because they give them a discount there.”
Starting in early March, store workers will earn between $14 and $19 an hour.
During the pandemic, they have been called heroes, but they complain that the salaries are too low.
“They haven’t given us a raise for three years,” said Maria Arellano, a hospital worker.
This fact, according to the workers, has led to a shortage of employees at the hospital in the region.
“Every day is a marathon effort for many of my colleagues, from any field, to cover those areas,” Arellano said. “They cannot be covered for lack of personnel.”
According to the union, raising the minimum wage to $25 would potentially help some 500 health care workers in Lynwood, including those who work in dialysis clinics.
Find out how you can check if your employer has adjusted your salary and what to do if not.
“It hurts a lot, I’m on the verge of tears, I tried to contain them,” Castañeda said.
“It is something that makes me very happy with all my heart that it has now become possible, that we have fought so hard for months, asking, pleading. Now it was accomplished.”
And although she currently earns over $25, she considers it a win for her entire industry.
They announce that the city of West Hollywood will have the highest minimum wage in this country by 2023.
Saint Francis Medical Center opposed it because they did not consider it a fair change.
“It will only cover 25% of healthcare workers in the city of Lynwood,” said Fred Ortega, spokesman for Saint Francis Medical Center.
Ortega points out that this order concerns private hospitals, whether for profit or not. Even clinics like Planned Parenthood aren’t covered either.
The change to the municipal code comes into effect 90 days after the vote. Salary will change for about 500 health care workers, but those working in county clinics will not have this benefit.