1 / 34

BC Living Wage Project Sponsored by First Call and CCPA

BC Living Wage Project Sponsored by First Call and CCPA. 2010. Work should lift you out of poverty, not keep you there. What is a ‘Living Wage’?. Different from minimum wage Not legislated Single vs. family Based on actual expenses and gov’t benefits/taxes in a given community

avi
Download Presentation

BC Living Wage Project Sponsored by First Call and CCPA

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. BC Living Wage ProjectSponsored by First Call and CCPA 2010 Work should lift you out of poverty, not keep you there.

  2. What is a ‘Living Wage’? Different from minimum wage • Not legislated • Single vs. family • Based on actual expenses and gov’t benefits/taxes in a given community • The living wage call: to employers (primarily large public and private sector) to commit to LW for both direct staff and major local service contracts Work should lift you out of poverty, not keep you there.

  3. The Poverty Context • For 6 years in a row, BC has had the highest child poverty rate in Canada (13% in 2007, after tax) • 56% of poor children in BC live in families where at least one adult works a full-time/full-year job. • Of 27 factors identified as having an impact on child development, up to 80% were seen to improve as family income increases • Corporate social responsibility means paying a living wage. For those who want to end child poverty and ensure healthy child development, this is where “the rubber hits the road” Work should lift you out of poverty, not keep you there.

  4. Process • Brought together a group of academics, policy analysts, social partners and advocates to set a living wage • Outreach to stakeholders through roundtables: Dietitians of Canada, United Way, SPARC BC, Vibrant Surrey, Faith Groups, Labour Unions; Immigrant Communities. • Focus groups with low income families and employers to receive feedback on: - assumptions in the calculation - the amount of the Living Wage Work should lift you out of poverty, not keep you there.

  5. Principles • Enables working families to have an adequate but not affluent income; • promotes social inclusion; • supports healthy child development principles; • promotes gender equality; • ensures that families are not under severe financial stress; • is a conservative, reasonable estimate; • engenders significant and wide ranging community support; and • is a vehicle for promoting the benefits of social programs such as childcare Work should lift you out of poverty, not keep you there.

  6. Assumptions and Methodology The Living Wage is calculated for a family • of two parents and two children, aged 4 and 7 years; • with paid employment for seventy hours per week; • estimated family expenses for 2009; and • the four year old child in full time day care, 7 year old in before and after school care and summer care. Government transfers and taxes based on the 2009 tax year. The family expenses are based in part on the HRSDC Market Basket Measure. Work should lift you out of poverty, not keep you there.

  7. Formula: Thus, the living wage is the hourly rate of pay at which a household can meet its expenses once government transfers have been added and government deductions from wages and government taxes have been subtracted. Work should lift you out of poverty, not keep you there.

  8. Family Expenses • Food • Clothing & Footwear • Shelter • Childcare • Transportation • Other • Medical Expenses • Parent Education • Contingency Amount Work should lift you out of poverty, not keep you there.

  9. Food $174/week $756/month $9,071/year Source: Dietitians of Canada: The Cost of Eating in BC 2009 Work should lift you out of poverty, not keep you there.

  10. Clothing & Footwear $187 / month $2,240 / year Source: MBM (2007) + CPI Work should lift you out of poverty, not keep you there.

  11. Shelter • $1,346 / month • $16,152 / year • Shelter = Rent + Utilities + Telephone + Content Insurance • Rent:$1,175 / month • Calculated based on CMHC October 2009 data for median rents for apartments, 3 bedroom units. • Median rent is lower than the average rent. • Rents vary, in Vancouver in the CMA closer to $1500, $900 in the Fraser Valley • New condo rent for 2 bedroom in the CMA is $1435.00 / month. Work should lift you out of poverty, not keep you there.

  12. Utilities, Telephone, Contents Insurance $171 / month (= $104 + $37 + $30) $2,052 / year Utilities = Electricity: = $104.00 / month Source: Dietitians of Canada “The Cost of Eating in BC 2007”, Stats Can custom tabulation plus CPI Telephone: = $37.41 / month Source: A land line phone through Telus Contents Insurance on Possessions: = $30.00 / month Source: Based on estimate from VanCity of $300-$400 yearly to insure $30,000 worth of possessions Work should lift you out of poverty, not keep you there.

  13. Transportation $442 / month $5,309 / year Transportation = A Car + Public Transit A Car This expense is the MBM amount adjusted by CPI. This amount is for the purchase (amortized), insurance, maintenance and operation of a second hand vehicle. Public Transit 1 Adult Pass (2 zone): $ 99.00 Source: Greater Vancouver Transportation Authority Work should lift you out of poverty, not keep you there.

  14. Everything Else The “Other” category of the MBM is a general category that encompasses a variety of expenses including personal care, household needs, furniture, school supplies and a very modest levels of reading materials, recreation, entertainment, internet, cable, and family vacation. $159/week $689/month $8,269/year Work should lift you out of poverty, not keep you there.

  15. Family Expenses: Childcare $1,095 / month $13,150 / year For: • full time care for the 4 year old, and • before and after school care and summer care for the 7 year old. Source: Westcoast Childcare Resource Centre This expense account for over 20% of the family’s expenses. Work should lift you out of poverty, not keep you there.

  16. Medical Expenses Medical expenses has the following two parts. 1. MSP Premiums $114 / month $1,368 / year 2. Non MSP Covered Health Care Expenses $133.00 / month $1,596.00 / year This amount is based on the cost of Pacific Blue Cross Insurance for the family. Work should lift you out of poverty, not keep you there.

  17. Parent Education $1,050 / year • This amount allows a parent in the family to take two courses of three credits each at a community college. • It covers expenses for tuition, textbooks and student fees. Work should lift you out of poverty, not keep you there.

  18. Contingency Amount $2,549 / year The contingency amount equals the hourly wage of the parents x their number of hours worked per week for each parent (35), for two weeks. The contingency amount is for unexpected expenses such as being away from work to care for a family member, any out of town travel, transition between work or the two week waiting period for employment insurance benefits. Work should lift you out of poverty, not keep you there.

  19. Total Family Expenses The two parent / two child family with the expenses presented above has family expenses of $5,062 per month, or $60,749 per year This family needs to earn $66,139 before taxes and transfers. Work should lift you out of poverty, not keep you there.

  20. Living Wage = $18.17 per hour for Vancouver, based upon the above family expenses, and factoring in government transfers and government deductions. ($17.31/hour for Victoria) Work should lift you out of poverty, not keep you there.

  21. Not Included The Living Wage does not allow the family to • own a house; • save for retirement; • save for their children’s education; or • service debt. The recreation/entertainment budget is very modest, as is housing and contingency. Work should lift you out of poverty, not keep you there.

  22. How can employers become ‘Living Wage Employers’? • Pay all direct staff (FT, PT and casual) the living wage. • LW can be attained by a combination of wages and benefits • You must commit to insert a Living Wage clause (stipulating that contracted workers be paid a Living Wage) in all future contracts for external staff, who provide services to your organization on a regular ongoing basis, but who are not direct employees. • Employees paid by incentive-based pay (tips) or commission can be paid less than a Living Wage (once wages + tips/commission=LW) • Advocate for public policies that would enhance affordability and lower the living wage.

  23. Key Conditions • Externally contracted staff refers to staff that work on a regular ongoing basis (providing at least 120 hours of labour a year) that many businesses use to provide janitorial, security, cleaning or catering services. Ad hoc contract work (for example for repairs or maintenance) is exempted from this clause. • A Living Wage clause should be included in all future agreements and renegotiated agreements with contractors you hire. You do not need to renegotiate existing contracts before they come up for renewal in order to be compliant.

  24. Key Conditions • Non-mandatory benefits include employer contributions towards an employee’s health/dental care, MSP premiums, child care expenses, enhanced vacation and sick leave etc. • Employers are allowed to have a small amount of trainees or students placements that are paid below the living wage once they don’t represent a core part of the total staff makeup (no more than 10-20%). Staff who are on probation are not counted as part of the living wage determination process but once their probation period is over they must receive a living wage. • The Living Wage is calculated annually to take account of living expense changes and changes. LW Employers will be asked to be re-certified every 2 years based on the existing Living Wage figure at that time.

  25. How do I apply? • Fill out Enrollment Form • Application reviewed by the 'Living Wage Recognition Body'. This body is made up of representatives from Business, Social Enterprise, Ethical Investment and Trade Unions • Signing Ceremony -Living Wage Pledge. LW Employer given sample living wage clauses for insertion into external contracts and a sample living wage internal policy (copies of these are available on our website) as well as window decal for store front display and an electronic logo for use on websites and letterhead. • You will be publicly recognized as a Living Wage Employer on our website and any of our periodic publications. • Future plans for Living Wage Awards Ceremony

  26. Living Wage Employer Logo

  27. Living Wage Employer Programme • Targeted 30/40 Employers. • 8 signed up (2 Credit Unions, 1 Environmental Business, 1 Awards Company and 4 NGOs) • 10/15 other organizations hoping to apply. • Partnership with SAP software • Hoping to launch the programme to the larger business community in the fall/winter of 2010.

  28. Where has this happened? • Over 130 US cities since 1994- New York, Chicago, Boston, Detroit, Cleveland, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose and Miami • Greater London Authority, UK • New Westminster-April 2010-first in Canada • Canadian cities considering this approach include Ottawa, Waterloo, and Calgary • Current US administration is considering giving preference to contractors who pay a living wage in bidding for Federal contracts

  29. Case Study-London • 2012 Olympics in London will be the first Living Wage Olympics! • Numerous companies signed up including HSBC, Royal Bank of Scotland, KPMG, Price Waterhouse Coopers, Queen Mary University, LSE. • “Paying the London Living Wage is not only morally right, but makes good business sense too. What may appear to a company to be an unaffordable cost in a highly competitive market should more often be viewed as a sound investment decision. I believe that paying decent wages reduces staff turnover and produces a more motivated and productive workforce.” Conservative Party Mayor of London, UK, Boris Johnson, 2008

  30. Case Study - KPMG “So, for KPMG, paying the Living Wage is not just an important part of our values, our people strategy and our award winning corporate responsibility agenda: it’s critical.” Ian Tew, Head of Workplace at KPMG, UK, 2008 • Turnover amongst our cleaning staff has more than halved. • Morale has been raised. • Despite improved sick pay potential abuse has not materialized • Productivity has improved; attitudes are more flexible and positive • Service has improved: our help desk gets far fewer complaints

  31. Work should lift you out of poverty, not keep you there.

More Related