Inglewood residents have long supported healthcare workers. The community values our frontline caregivers, especially after seeing their dedication and bravery throughout the pandemic. If we really want to support healthcare workers for their sacrifices and help fix the healthcare staffing crisis that threatens patient care, then Inglewood voters need to vote YES on Measure HC in this election.
Measure HC will raise wages for essential healthcare workers to $25 an hour. Raising healthcare worker wages is not only the right thing to do for those who have cared for us, but it will help ensure that we have the caregivers we need now and in the coming years.
Healthcare workers were on the front lines against COVID from the very beginning. They were there for us when there was little information about the virus and insufficient protective equipment to keep them safe. They were there even though they knew they were putting themselves — and their families — at risk.
Yet many of those workers who risked everything are paid so low that they struggle to support themselves and their families. They work multiple jobs and overtime shifts just to make ends meet. That means parents can’t spend time with their kids and loved ones. High inflation and skyrocketing rent have made things even harder.
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Not surprisingly, many are leaving their healthcare jobs for retail, restaurant, or other jobs that pay more and are less dangerous. That’s something that should worry us all.
Even before the pandemic, we faced a healthcare worker shortage. Now, with workers leaving, it’s a full-blown crisis. Workers report regular understaffing on the job, and patients feel the impacts: long wait times at the ER, struggles to get an appointment, and tired caregivers.
We must take action to ensure our hospitals are well-staffed and we have people to care for us and our loved ones. Measure HC will provide fair wages to our hospital workers in Inglewood and help retain them and attract new caregivers.
Like you, I have seen several confusing ads about Measure HC. There is one group of people who are opposed to Measure HC: the millionaire executives who run hospitals in Inglewood and Los Angeles County. They’ve spent over $1.7 million on ads to mislead voters into thinking Measure HC is bad for healthcare workers. Don’t fall for their deceptive ads. Many of the same hospitals and healthcare corporations opposed to raising healthcare worker wages made millions, or even billions, in profits during the pandemic. Yet, instead of paying their employees a fair and decent wage, they are doing everything they can to fight it.
When you go to the hospital in your time of need, healthcare workers will be there for you. Now, it’s time for Inglewood voters to join me, Congresswoman Maxine Waters, and Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly Mitchell to be there for them. On or before November 8, vote YES on HC!
The Honorable Tina McKinnor is the Assemblymember for District 62.
