ST. LOUIS — Thousands of Mercy Hospital workers will be getting a pay raise after the hospital system announced a change to its starting wages.
Mercy said it's adding an extra $18 million to its budget annually, which will raise more than 6,000 workers’ pay to $15 an hour and will be the starting wage for newly hired workers, the hospital system announced in a news release Thursday.
The new minimum wage will go into effect throughout Mercy on Sept. 19. Current workers will see an increase in their paychecks as early as Oct. 8. Workers who will receive the increase include housekeepers, food service, transportation and pharmacy workers, and medical and lab technicians.
“We decided to make the transition immediately, rather than in stages, because this critical decision can positively affect so many lives and families,” said Mercy president and CEO Lynn Britton. “It is our prayer and hope that this will ease the financial stress of many co-workers, regardless of where they work in our ministry, and let them know what they do matters greatly to the patients and families we serve every day.”
In addition to raising starting wages, Mercy said it will continue to review workers’ pay “across all communities and job descriptions and adjust accordingly.”