By: Eye On Inglewood Staff Writer
In 2022, the City of Inglewood implemented a minimum wage ordinance specifically for health care workers. This new ordinance set a minimum wage of $25 per hour for employees working in private-sector health care establishments, including hospitals, integrated health systems, and dialysis clinics in Inglewood.
The minimum wage increase applied to various health care positions such as clinicians, nurses, certified nursing assistants, aides, technicians, maintenance workers, janitorial or housekeeping staff, groundskeepers, guards, food services workers, laundry workers, and pharmacists. However, it did not extend to managers or supervisors.
The California Hospital Association opposed this law and recently, the district court ruled in their favor by striking down certain portions of the ordinance. These sections were deemed preempted by the National Labor Relations Act. Specifically, Sections 8-152 (c)-(d) of the ordinance, which prohibited employers from funding the required minimum wage increase by reducing premiums, shift differentials, benefits, hours worked, laying off workers, or increasing charges to workers, have been invalidated.
There is a possibility that the City of Inglewood may choose to appeal this court decision, although no appeal has been filed as of now.
Meanwhile, the governor's proposal to postpone the implementation of a statewide health care minimum wage increase remains uncertain. As of now, the statewide health care minimum wage increase is scheduled to take effect on June 1.
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