SB 525 Wage Increases for County Health Care Workers

United Public Employees (UPE) met with Sacramento County on October 3, 2025, to discuss Senate Bill 525 (SB 525) the new state law that raises the minimum wage for health care workers.

During the meeting, we talked about who qualifies as a “health care employee.” This includes County workers who spend more than half of their work time providing patient care, health care services, or supporting health care operations.

Under SB 525, these employees must earn at least $21 per hour. This increase took effect on December 29, 2024, and covered employees should have already seen the raise in their paychecks.

The County informed UPE that employees already earning $21 an hour or more will not receive a step increase under this law, since they already meet the minimum pay rate.

UPE continues to monitor the County’s compliance to make sure all affected employees are being paid correctly.



If you have questions about whether you qualify or believe you were missed, contact your UPE representative right away.

UPE WOULD LIKE TO THANK 005 OFFICE TECHNICAL GOVERNING BOARD MEMBERS ZACK KOLLROSS, SYLVIA GARCIA, AND DAWN RICHARDSON FOR THEIR ADVOCACY AND PARTICIPATION