Background on wage disparity outside the prisons

     
The growing wage disparity – as high as 40 percent in some cases – between health care staff in state prisons and in other state institutions threatens the quality of care provided to some our most vulnerable citizens—veterans and the developmentally disabled.

The wage disparity has caused staffing shortages that threaten the level of care and the safety of hard-working health care professionals. Health care workers in state mental hospitals, facilities for the developmentally disabled and veterans homes are dedicated to their jobs.

The problems goes back to 2006 when federal courts ordered the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) to implement a substantial pay increase for health care personnel providing direct care to prisoners. This created a strong incentive for health care professionals working in other departments to apply for similar jobs at CDCR for much higher pay.  Other employees have left state employment for better pay at similar positions with private employers or other public agencies.
 
The result is that vacancy rates have skyrocketed at the departments of developmental services, veterans’ affairs and mental health. In order to cover unfilled shifts, many health care professionals are required to work mandatory overtime. Other institutions have begun to rely on costly private contractors for temporary help among nurses and other health care professionals.

A state audit released in April concluded that the Yountville veterans home suffers from a nursing shortage driven by low salaries and the high cost of living in the community. The audit said that many nurses were transferring to CDCR hospitals for better pay.

“It’s not fair that veterans do not get the same level of care as convicted criminals,” said Don Mertens, a WW II veteran living at the Veterans Home of California-Yountville. “The nurses and medical staff here do great work and they deserve to get equal pay to folks who work in prisons.”

Mertens was just one of several veterans in Yountville who support parity because they appreciate the level of care that California’s veterans receive. Mertens may have thought his fighting days were over in 1945. But he is just the kind of ally we need in the battle to win parity for our workers.