Johns Hopkins Health System has raised its minimum wage to $15 and increased employees’ base pay by 3%.
The changes went into effect Sunday for non-union employees, while changes to pay for employees who are represented by a union will be addressed during the renewal cycle for collective bargaining agreements, health system officials said.
Baltimore Fishbowl obtained emails sent to Johns Hopkins Health System managers and nursing staff on Friday in which the system’s leaders announced the early implementation of the changes.
“Investment in our incredible JHHS staff is a top priority for Johns Hopkins Medicine and JHHS leadership,” the leaders wrote. “The last two years have been profoundly challenging for those of us working in health care. Through it all, we have watched you and your teams rise to the occasion, consistently providing exceptional patient care, supporting our operations and advancing the Johns Hopkins Medicine mission. It is important to us and to all Johns Hopkins leaders that we recognize your efforts.”
Johns Hopkins Health System had originally planned to increase its minimum wage and base pay in January 2022, after they first announced the changes in May 2021.
“We are excited to be able to make this $15 minimum wage increase happen sooner than originally planned for this critically important group of entry level employees,” said Johns Hopkins Health System spokesperson Kim Hoppe.
System officials did not comment about why the changes were moved up.
The University of Maryland Medical System and the University of Maryland Faculty Physicians, Inc. announced Sept. 10 that they would raise their own minimum wage to $15, which went into effect Sept. 12.
Maryland’s minimum wage is currently $11.75 for businesses with 15 or more employees, and it is scheduled to increase to $12.50 on Jan. 1, 2022. The statewide minimum wage is scheduled to reach $15 at the start of 2025.
Many hospitals and health facilities across Maryland are experiencing shortages of nursing staff as the COVID-19 pandemic persists.
Officials at the Johns Hopkins Health System hope that the changes in pay will help the system recruit and retain staff.
“This increase in compensation for your teams, in combination with efforts to improve our hiring practices, is designed to strengthen talent recruitment and retention efforts,” officials wrote in the Sept. 24 email to managers.
Hopkins’ nurses “are critical to the work we do every day,” Hoppe said.
“They work tirelessly and selflessly in normal times, and the pandemic has only amplified that dedication and devotion,” she said.
Hoppe added that in addition to increasing base pay, the health system is also taking additional measures to ensure that nurses’ salaries are competitive in the regional market.
The health system has hired Mercer, an outside compensation firm, to conduct a market analysis of registered nurses’ pay across the region, which will guide the system’s planning for additional investments in nurses’ compensation, according to the Sept. 24 to Hopkins’ nursing staff.
Merit-based increases are not going to be available to employees in 2022. This 3% is basically a cost of living adjustment.