Ottawa Living Wage Campaign

City council is dragging its feet on implementing a proposal to restrict municipal contracts only to those employers who agree to pay their workers a “living wage,” say members of an anti-poverty lobby group.

Ottawa members of ACORN [Canada] met at city hall yesterday to continue to pressure councillors to support the proposal that would set a minimum “living wage” of $13.50 an hour.

“The city has some contractors who pay minimum wage or less than the low-income cutoff,” said [Ottawa] ACORN  member Michelle Walrond, comparing the practice to child labour or sweatshops.

Walrond said the $13.50 figure is based on cost of living statistics from Statistics Canada and reflects the amount a person needs to make ends meet in Ottawa. She said people who work for less often have to supplement their incomes by relying on food banks and other social services.

Walrond said about 14 councillors have voiced their support for the idea, but added the group had a setback with the proposal during the last municipal election, when some supportive councillors failed in their re-election bids.

You can read the original article at: http://www.metronews.ca/ottawa/local/article/830034--poverty-group-urges-action-on-living-wage

Councillors are being asked once again to support a Living Wage in the City of Ottawa.

Ottawa ACORN will hold a media event next week to urge the City to support its Living Wage Campaign, which is part of the city's Poverty Reduction Strategy.

[Ottawa] ACORN says its campaign is focused on a wage increase of $13.50 an hour for full-time City of Ottawa workers.

The group says the campaign is based on the Low Income Cut Off to ensure municipal public dollars when given to contractors, economic development assistance firms and direct contract employees receive a "base level pay."

The City of Ottawa's Poverty Reduction Strategy estimated a Living Wage for contracted City workers would cost taxpayers an extra $1.4 million a year.

You can read the original article at: http://www.cfra.com/?cat=1&nid=78841

Jan 13th - Ottawa's Metro newspaper feature an article last month on the growing efforts to engage businesses as supporters of that cityies living wage campaign.

Fair wages will be the topic of discussion at Cycle Logic Friday morning as members of Ottawa ACORN gather support for the Living Wage campaign.

Local businessman Ian Fraser will host the event in order to ask other businesses to follow him by making a living wage part of their policies.

“The current minimum wage is not a living wage,” he said.  Nadia Willard, a supporter of Living Wage, said Statistics Canada has proven that employees need to make at least $13.50 per hour in order to meet their basic needs.

“If we want to deal with poverty in a significant way, we must end up paying people who do an honest day’s living,” she said.

The original article can be found at: http://reader.metronews.ca/digital_launch.aspx?id=a1b4f281-d139-41f6-8a48-a4164f065b12&pnum=4

Jan 12th - Ottawa's Peace and Environment Resource Centre (PERC.ca) included an article written by Ottawa ACORN leader Michelle Walrond in their recent newsletter.  The article is reproduced below.

We at Ottawa ACORN came to know of the need for a living wage from conversations with our numerous low-to-moderate-income members. Thousands of working poor struggle with jobs that do not pay enough to meet basic needs, such as food, shelter and clothing. The numbers of businesses that pay "poverty wages" is staggering. Ottawa ACORN (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now) is a non-profit organization focusing on social justice at the local level.

Ottawa ACORN has established the following goals:

• 1. Raise public awareness that City government contractors have been underpaying workers, even though the City recently enacted the Ethical Procurement Policy banning the use of sweatshops and child labor.
• 2. Push to have a bylaw enacted at the municipal level to ensure a minimum wage of $13-$15 per hour for all City government contractor employees.
• 3. Get city council to pass The Poverty Reductions Strategy, which includes ACORN's living wage motion.

In May 2009, Ottawa ACORN kicked off our Living Wage campaign. The first job was to raise public awareness, a daunting task that involves both going door-to-door to speak directly to citizens, and having meetings with public officials and the media to inform them of the issues and solicit support.

In the issue of This Magazine (this.org) that came out this week was a short piece looking at ACORN Canada and living wage campaigns.

We’re excited to have helped win the first living wage policy in the country in New Westminster BC - and are excited about the prospects of Ottawa becoming the second ‘living wage’ city in Canada as early as this spring.

Here’s sneak peak at the article from This Magazine:

The New Westminster proposal was promoted by a diverse amalgamation of groups, including [ACORN Canada], the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, the Hospital Employees’ Union, and First Call: BC Child and Youth Advocacy Coalition.

A similar coalition in Ottawa is looking to build upon this example. In September, ACORN Canada brought in speakers from New Westminster to help educate the people of Ottawa on how higher wages can benefit workers and the economy without burdening taxpayers.

You can read the whole article at: http://this.org/magazine/2010/11/10/living-wage-bylaw/

It’s a great piece and we’re really excited that This Magazine has picked up on it.