The Jackson Health System announced Tuesday that it will raise its minimum wage to $15 per hour, affecting about 900 employees.
“We’re proud to pay all our employees a fair and living wage, so that they can bring their best self to the work place and so that we can recruit the best of the best,” said Carlos Migoya, the CEO of Jackson Health System, noting the highly competitive market amid a nationwide labor shortage.
“It’s especially important as we learn that each new COVID-19 mutation can skyrocket us to high volumes of patients again,” he said of the urgency in making sure the hospital is fully staffed.
The new minimum wage is part of a three-year contract negotiated by the Service Employees International Union, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees and the Committee of Interns and Residents and was approved Tuesday by the Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners.
“This first pandemic in our lifetimes has been grueling, our caregivers are exhausted,” said Martha Baker, a registered nurse and union organizer. “Our caregivers deserve every penny they got in negotiations and more.”