Recently, UPMC announced it would increase its minimum wage to $18 by 2026. While I agree wages should be raised, we can’t wait three years for it to happen.
We are in the middle of a critical hospital staffing shortage. Many of my co-workers who’ve left say they’re leaving because they’re underpaid. I don’t blame them. I’m making $18 an hour after four years. New hires make significantly less. But between rent and inflation, I’m just getting by.
We work hard to keep our community healthy; our wages should reflect that. When UPMC can’t staff environmental or nutritional service workers, or transporters or technical staff or nurses, more employees leave. More feel overworked, more feel underpaid and the cycle repeats.
UPMC just pushes the problem around. To different units. To newer staff. To traveling staff. But most of all: to less staff.
The only people making a dime off this phenomenon are the executives. While workers struggle to do more with less, executives have increased their salaries by millions.
UPMC’s billion-dollar profits should be used to invest in staff at every level, not line the pockets of a few.
Quincy Schlosser
Greenfield
The writer is a UPMC patient care technician.