Workers at the addiction treatment center Janus of Santa Cruz are negotiating for higher wages, asking for $16 an hour. The rate of $16 an hour — which is about $33,400 per year — is the minimum for employees of companies that contract with Santa Cruz County. The nonprofit is under contract with the county to give substance abuse treatment. The National Union of Healthcare Workers is negotiating on behalf of the workers who unionized for the first time in 2017.
