[homeles_ot-l] First living wage policy in New Westminster BC FW: What it means

[Lynne Browne]

FYI . . . Lynne Browne

Coordinator, Alliance to End Homelessness (ATEH)

147 Besserer St., 2nd Floor, Ottawa, ON K1N 6A7

Cell 613-513-6647

Office 613-241-7913, ext. 205

www.endhomelessnessottawa.ca <http://www.endhomelessnessottawa.ca/> 

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From: Dave Tate, ACORN Canada [mailto:noreply at noreply.com] 
Sent: April 27, 2010 2:31 PM
To: lbrowne at ysb.on.ca
Subject: What it means

 

Dear Supporter

Yesterday, we made history.

BC ACORN and allies won a year long campaign to enact Canada's first living
wage policy after the City Council of New Westminster British Columbia voted
in favor of the proposed policy. 

This marks the first time in Canadian history that a municipality has set a
wage floor for certain types of workers above the Provincial minimum wage.
This is a precedent that all Canadian municipalities should look to when
evaluating tools available to reduce poverty and support working families.
Once the policy is implemented, all direct and indirect workers (contract
workers etc) performing work on City premises will earn a wage no lower than
$16.74 - which we believe makes the New Westminster living wage the highest
in North America.

While most of you receiving this message don't live in BC, let alone New
Westminster - I was compelled to send you this email because of the historic
nature of this victory.  I know I speak for all ACORN members when I say
that we want to see cities across Canada adopt living wage bylaws.  When
Provinces won't act to raise the minimum wage, we can now point the victory
in New Westminster as a model for what Cities can do to fill the void.    

Special thanks go out to our coalition allies at A Living Wage for Families,
the Council members who voted to adopt the policy, and most importantly the
countless ACORN members who knocked on doors, collected petition signatures,
and ran phone banks in support of the campaign.  We couldn't do it without
you.

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Thanks for all you do.
Dave Tate
Chair, New Westminster ACORN
http://www.acorncanada.org

P.S. The Ottawa living wage campaign is still running in high-gear - take
action at http://www.ottawalivingwage.ca

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