Title: 30% over minimum wage law
I work as a paramedic for an ambulance company in the coastal area of California. The employees are also part of a bargaining unit that has well over 100 employees. We have just come to a Tentative Agreement but shortly found out that EMT’s that are being paid minimum wage are also getting a 30% increase (which bring their wage up to $14.30 an hour which also a base pay for a paramedic) before the agreement is even voted on.
It seems like the company and bargaining unit. Did not know anything about this 30% law. Which everyone is trying to figure out what and how this is. You have an employee that has zero experience on an ambulance take a semester class and get a job as an EMT getting paid the same an hour as an employee that has at least a years experience as an EMT plus goes to Paramedic school for over a year and has a base wage as a starting EMT now.
How does this work? Some coworkers are also saying that some employees are due back pay from the year 2000 because of this law. We have 3 shifts that an empkoyee can work, a 24 hour shift ( EMT and Paramedic starting at $14.30 and hour, when the tentative agreement says EMT start at $11), and day 12 hour shift ( EMT makes $14.30 and Paramedic makes $17.95 and tentative agreement says EMT will start at $13.81) and last the 12 night shift ( EMT makes $16.32 and Paramedic makes $21.22).
Can you help me understand why these two shifts EMT’s can make the $14.30 an hour with this 30% above minimum wage law?
Kyle,
Thanks for answering some things for me. It new law or what ever it is, has been somewhat of a pain because it seems like even our employer does not know anything about it but also is not telling any employees about it as well. Right now we just know that sense January 1st new to newer EMT’s are being paid $14.30 an hour, when in December 2017 they were being pain minimum wage or a little higher then minimum wage but no where near $14.30 an hour.
Most of us are really trying to wrap our head around this and figure out what is going on sense we don’t have any clue. We had found the 30% verbiage in the Industrial Welfare Commission under section 3 (hours and days of work) sub-section H. From what and some of my co-workers have found that dates back to the year 2000. Which it really does not make sense why this all changed this year.