UC is committed to providing fair and competitive pay for its employees, particularly in the healthcare sector. To achieve this, the university has announced plans to gradually increase minimum hourly wages for designated health care workers. The minimum wage will rise to $23/hour on June 1, 2024, $24/hour on June 1, 2025, and $25/hour on June 1, 2026. UC also intends to raise the minimum wage for all AFSCME-represented employees to $24 by April of 2025.
These changes are in line with California Senate Bill (SB) 525, which sets a new minimum wage for “covered health care employees.” However, UC is implementing these changes faster than the newly enacted bill due to evolving state budget conditions. Despite this, UC is determined to meet the most ambitious timeline suggested in the bill and bring these changes to certain UC workers as quickly as possible.
Melissa Matella, associate vice president of Employee & Labor Relations at UC Office, expressed excitement about acknowledging and providing wage increases for healthcare workers. Their dedication and resilience during the pandemic were crucial in ensuring that patients received optimal care at the University of California Health system.
In addition to increasing pay for its workers, UC is also expanding overtime eligibility for healthcare workers earning less than $71,760/year in June of this year ($74,880/year as of June 1, 2025), and $78,000/year by June 1, 2026. These new eligible employees will be informed of these changes and any related timekeeping obligations.
UC’s efforts to enhance its reputation as a great place to work extend beyond just pay increases. Recent improvements include proposed expanded paid sick leave starting January 1st
