What’s happening: The new health care worker minimum wage officially took effect Oct. 16, and CHA has updated its frequently-asked-questions (FAQs) fact sheet to reflect changes to both the implementation date and clarifying changes made to the law.
What else to know: When Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill (SB) 525 in 2023, it established graduated minimum wage increases for certain health care workers. Then, two bills in 2024 — SB 828 and SB 159 — delayed implementation of the new wage increase from June 1 to a newly established and final deadline of Oct. 16.
While SB 828 delayed the initial minimum wage adjustment and future adjustments, SB 159 — a budget trailer bill signed at the end of June — not only further delayed implementation, but also made some changes to the health care worker minimum wage law that clarified definitions and removed ambiguity.
The CHA FAQs: SB 525/SB 828/SB 159 and the Health Care Minimum Wage answers all the questions hospital employers may have about the health care minimum wage law — including, but not limited to, who is covered, what the law is, and employee posting and notice requirements — and accounts for all updates to this minimum wage following the passage of SB 828 and SB 159.