Los Angeles Minimum wage $15hr

[gonefishing]

For all the people in LA they just voted any employer with 25+ employees to start paying $15 an hour at minimum in the next 5 years but talks to make that sooner. Currently raises every july until it is $15. My question to everyone here is,
has your employer discussed this with you? Will they be increasing your pay so your well above what time you have put in? What about those of you making $15 an hour or close to that currently?

 

[COmedic17]

That's going to get real ugly, real fast.

That's right around what a starting off private service medic makes. If the minimum wage is 15, and I ran an EMS company, I would just run all the rigs double medic as opposed to paying EMTs $15.

 

[gonefishing]

That's going to get real ugly, real fast.

That's right around what a starting off private service medic makes. If the minimum wage is 15, and I ran an EMS company, I would just run all the rigs double medic as opposed to paying EMTs $15.

Yea, it's gonna get ugly all over. What I can see most of them doing is shutting down operations in city limits and moving out to the county.

 

[COmedic17]

I see EMTs being phased out.

 

[gonefishing]

I see EMTs being phased out.

Not enough medics.lol

 

[COmedic17]

Oh- there's plenty of medics.
over saturated in a lot of areas.


A lot of states pay starting medics under 15. If those EMT spots turn medic and pay $15hr, medics will move there for work.

 

[gonefishing]

Oh- there's plenty of medics.
over saturated in a lot of areas.


A lot of states pay starting medics under 15. If those EMT spots turn medic and pay $15hr, medics will move there for work.

Yea. I know 3 companys paying $21 an hour currently but no takers. Haven't been for months.

 

[triemal04]

Will they be increasing your pay so your well above what time you have put in? What about those of you making $15 an hour or close to that currently?

This is always an interesting question that comes up with this issue, and applies to the entire spectrum of employers, not just EMS.

People are currently paid more than the minimum wage for a lot of reasons, but it really boils down to:
It's what the company can afford (and very few places will be happy to cut down on their profit margin, even if they are still "profitable."
It attracts better people.
It gives people a reason to stay and work hard (pay raises).
People won't do the job for less.

So what happens when the minimum wage takes a jump like this? If the person at a job who has been there for several years, proved their worth and currently makes 200% of the current minimum wage will now be working with people who start at a pay rate much closer to theirs despite having put in no time or effort, will that person be happy with the situation? Will they turn around and demand a raise of their own? Will the person who now makes $15/hr and is just filling time actually put in any extra effort or improve? How profitable will the company remain if they have to account for an increase in the minimum wage, AND an increase in the pay of anyone currently making more than the minimum? If they don't raise pay rates, how will they sell it to their employees without causing a lot of anger and potentially a loss of productivity?

All questions that really should be considered.

 

[Jim37F]

I foresee a lot of companies saying "We're based in Glendale/Burbank,/Long Beach/etc. so this doesn't affect us, you're still getting $9-10/hour"

 

[gonefishing]

I foresee a lot of companies saying "We're based in Glendale/Burbank,/Long Beach/etc. so this doesn't affect us, you're still getting $9-10/hour"

Exactly lol I know of one large company already looking for property outside of the city and in the county to avoid it.
Now question is whos gonna wanna be an emt for $15 an hour when you can go fold clothes or bag groceries? LOL

 

[triemal04]

Exactly lol I know of one large company already looking for property outside of the city and in the county to avoid it.
Now question is whos gonna wanna be an emt for $15 an hour when you can go fold clothes or bag groceries? LOL

Actually, speaking specifically about EMS it might (and that is a large might mind you) be a little beneficial in the long run. People who otherwise would not have gotten involved in EMS, or only did it for a short time because it wasn't financially feasible may be more inclined to get involved. That could potentially bring in a better class of people than you often get currently.

Or it could have the opposite effect; Joe ********* who just wants to play with the woowoo's and flashy things and be a life-saving heart-breaking hero will now jump all over that job as a dialysis derby EMT because...you know...he'll make $15/hour! Hell with flippin' burgers at Mickey Dee's, he's gonna go out and save him some lives!

 

[terrible one]

Good job LA keep pushing more and more businesses out! You're doing great!!!

 

[gonefishing]

Good job LA keep pushing more and more businesses out! You're doing great!!!

LOL good for Vernon all those empty factorys and buildings and little to no environmental protections.

 

[WuLabsWuTecH]

Personal opinion: the people who voted this in are politicians who need to get reelected and not economists who have actually considered the ramifications of their actions:

Personal opinion aside: A new equilibrium will develop...eventually. When I was in St. Louis, the starting salary for a Kelley day basic (aka, part time, 24 hours a week) was 18.50 in the area for 911. The Medic wage was 25. This was a few years ago so I don't know if it's still about the same, higher, or lower. But if all of a sudden, STL County passed something that said $15 minimum, it wouldn't affect the companies out there at all--initially. They'd still pay their basics and medics 18.50 and 25 an hour. But then as the cost of labor increases, so does the cost of goods and services, and those people who were perfectly content at their 18.50/25 jobs will start looking for work that pays more (or look for a cheaper place to live). In order to recruit and retain new people, they'll have to raise their wages.

Here's what I think will happen in LA, EMS-wise. Companies will evaluate whether or not to move their stations/base of operations outside of the limits of the wage (not sure if it's county limits or city limits). Those that don't have a need to have rapid response times into places that can't be service by a facilitys outside the limits will have the easiest time moving. They'll look at the increased fuel costs (if any) from moving their location and make a decision that way.

Those that move out will continue to operate as they do now. As the cost of living increases, wages will have to change (note, i said change, not match) to adapt. The only difference I see being that the cost of living will increase faster than the general US cost of living.

Those that don't will have a harder time dealing with it. I anticipate that most businesses will just charge more--once again, just like in normal day-to-day life, as costs increase so do prices--only it'll be accelerated in LA. But EMS has a business model where the prices are set by a 3rd party. Their only way to maintain the same profit margin is to cut costs. I can see them increasing their wait times for transports and running their crews harder. I don't know how things work out there exactly, but around here, the private companies that mostly do IFTs will usually try to sit a crew or two during the day so they can respond to emergencies at their contracted facilities. I can see them doing away with these. Here, there are a limited number of private trucks that have 3 man crews. I can see them cutting back to 2. As someone mentioned above, if there is supply, I can see them doing away with basics and hiring only medics.

But in the long run, I see no differences. Prices will go up in LA and the medics who work there will either demand more compensation, or will look for jobs elsewhere. The quality of life for a medic right now at $15 an hour won't give him the same quality of life so the wages will have to increase to keep up with that. Overall, as employers have to pay more, costs will go up and people will adjust--either by having a higher cost of living and wages to go with it (think Manhattan) or by leaving.

 

[PotatoMedic]

Exactly lol I know of one large company already looking for property outside of the city and in the county to avoid it.
Now question is whos gonna wanna be an emt for $15 an hour when you can go fold clothes or bag groceries? LOL

I can't speak for LA but Seattle made it so that even if you are not based within the city limits. If an employee does more that two hours of work a week then any time that the employee is working in Seattle they get the elevated minimum wage.

 

[escapedcaliFF]

I can't speak for LA but Seattle made it so that even if you are not based within the city limits. If an employee does more that two hours of work a week then any time that the employee is working in Seattle they get the elevated minimum wage.

What they expect companies to actually follow this? The politicians in LA and Seattle are just killing jobs and screwing over companies.

 

[Carlos Danger]

Well worth the read:

https://tucker.liberty.me/los-angeless-parade-of-economic-folly/

 

[escapedcaliFF]

Well worth the read:

https://tucker.liberty.me/los-angeless-parade-of-economic-folly/

He makes good points. Raise the minimum wage and cost get passed onto consumer. Plus raising raising the minimum wage is nothing more than rewarding people who honestly havent put themselves to their full potential. The problem is people in this country have become content on becoming slackers and expect politicians to help them out. Hard work and dedication made this country great. Handouts and redistribution is destroying it. Lots of similar issues with the fall of Roman Empire and the way this country is going.

 

[CentralCalEMT]

Because you need the "LA City" permit to pick up within the city limits of Los Angeles, it would be relatively easy for Los Angeles to enforce the minimum wage ordinance. They just have to check the company's financial records when issuing permits. Because many SNF in Los Angeles cater to medi cal patients and the reimbursement rate is so low, what is likely, is many small companies may just decide it is not worth it to do business in Los Angeles. There are 87 other incorporated cities in the county as well as huge unincorporated areas that this law does not affect and many companies will probably just choose to operate there.

 

[gonefishing]

Because you need the "LA City" permit to pick up within the city limits of Los Angeles, it would be relatively easy for Los Angeles to enforce the minimum wage ordinance. They just have to check the company's financial records when issuing permits. Because many SNF in Los Angeles cater to medi cal patients and the reimbursement rate is so low, what is likely, is many small companies may just decide it is not worth it to do business in Los Angeles. There are 87 other incorporated cities in the county as well as huge unincorporated areas that this law does not affect and many companies will probably just choose to operate there.

Right which leads to the question will the big companies give anything above minimum wage to compete? They already pay the state minimum wage and didn't do any increases when the wage went up.