A Los Angeles city ordinance that established a $25 minimum hourly wage for workers at private healthcare facilities could be placed before voters to decide, the Los Angeles Times reported Sept. 14.
The city clerk confirmed to the newspaper that the No on the Los Angeles Unequal Pay Measure Campaign, a group sponsored by the California Association of Hospitals and Health Systems, had met city requirements on a petition seeking to repeal the ordinance. This means the city council may repeal the measure or put it on the ballot.
The Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers West has pushed for ordinances in California cities establishing a $25 minimum hourly wage for workers at private healthcare facilities. The union has said raising the minimum wage would help address workforce challenges. The California Association of Hospitals and Health Systems, which is affiliated with the California Hospital Association, has called such ordinances "deeply flawed" and "inequitable," saying they exclude many healthcare workers.
In Los Angeles, the city council has 20 days to repeal the ordinance, call a special election or put it before voters in a regularly scheduled city election, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The city council approved the ordinance earlier this year, and the measure has been on hold as the city clerk sought to verify signatures petitioning to block its enactment. It would remain on hold until an election takes place, if the city council opts for one, according to the Los Angeles Times.
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