Minimum Wage Boost “Should be Enough to Buy a Cup of Coffee” Argues BCFED
Prince George, B.C. – BC’s minimum wage is up 20 cents to 10.45 an hour today, yet one labour leader argues it still isn’t nearly enough.
“It is definitely not enough,” says BC Federation of Labour president Irene Lanzinger, who argues it will leave minimum wage earners roughly $6,000 below the poverty line.
“I guess people will be able to afford another cup of coffee or something, but for people living in poverty, and there are hundreds of thousands of them in this province, this is a completely inadequate response to that on the part of our government.”
She’s also no fan of B.C.’s $9.20 an hour servers wage (also up 20 cents an hour).
“No, I’m not a fan of that at all. We say there should be one minimum wage for everyone,” says Lanzinger. “There are many servers in this province who do not get a lot of money in tips and the whole tipping issue is about depending on customers to pay the wages of employees and that’s just not right. Employers should be paying the wages of employees.”
She says she’d like B.C. to follow the lead of other jurisdictions in North America and raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour.
“If Seattle can do it, if Alberta can do it, if San Francisco can do it, if New York can do it, why can’t we? It’s happening all around us where cities and provinces all recognizing that when people earn money and especially when those people are the lowest earners that we have, when they earn more money they put all of that money back into the economy.”
But won’t raising it that high kill jobs?
“I don’t really understand that argument. It makes no sense to me and there’s no evidence that it’s true,” says Lanzinger. “We raised the minimum wage to $8 an hour to $10.25 and the employment numbers went up.”
Comments
No company should have the right to employ a person without paying them a living wage. At $6000 below the poverty line these companies assume that families or the taxpayer will make up the difference. Maybe convenience stores, retail outlets, restaurants etc. should be required to post their pay rates vs the poverty line at the entrance. Ya.
Get the boots on the ground instead of sitting at a desk and doing stats. Employment numbers are always going up, it is not an indicator of minimum wage impacts on small business enterprises.
If Alberta can do it – well Irene they have not done it yet, minimum wage in Alberta is currently 10.20 – we will see what happens come Oct 1 when they go up to 11.20? Keep your browser on google.
Seattle city is 11.00 per hour with a loss of 1,300 restaurant jobs currently – those 1,300 were employed in January and are no longer employed in the industry in june.
Minimum in San Fran is 12.25, there are businesses that are no longer viable and others that have raised prices to compensate in the short term
New York minimum is 8.75
When making an argument for something, at least use real data instead speculating on something that may happen in the future.
Raise the mimimum above poverty line, prices go up across the board and they are once again below the poverty line or have to move somewhere they can afford to live that has a lower minimum wage and they are below the magic poverty line again.
Makes no sense Irene, and there is in fact evidence that it is true, google any of the cities that have raised minimum wage and you immediately see the results with the exception of New York as it hasn’t happened yet.
This would be painful for small business owners. This will result in many layoffs, or price adjustment for them to survive.
Pay at the store/restaurant etc. or pay in taxes – better for everyone to earn a living wage.
I guess the wage for servers at 9.45 may seem really low. But in a decent restaurant or bar. They average well over $25/hr if your good at what you do. So the wage rate really don’t mean anything to these girls. I think we should be heading towards a living wage in many sectors. But servers wage really is missing the target.
BC Federation of Labour President Irene Lanzinger looks down upon all of us from her lofty perch and gives us advice as to what we should do or what we need to do!
This from someone who has enjoyed an extremely good living as one of our woefully underpaid teachers! This from someone who has no problem benefiting from a taxpayer subsidized pension! This from someone who undoubtedly never had to worry about the cost of a visit to the dentist! This from someone who has probably never had to worry about the cost of prescription drugs or other healthcare costs! This from someone who has never had to worry about declining incomes or profits during economic slowdowns! This from someone who has never had to worry about making payroll! This from someone who has never had to lay off staff and pick up the slack themselves! This from someone who has never had to worry about “keeping the lights on”!
I have some advice that I’d like to give Irene but I won’t because I’m in a very polite mood today!
” issue is about depending on customers to pay the wages of employees and that’s just not right.”
News flash for ya sunshine, almost every employees wage is paid for by the customers – with the exception of a chosen few chair warmers with funded jobs like you.
WELL im not in a good mood today HART guy. YOU chose to be a business man so surely you would have known what it costs and takes to be in business today. SOUNDS like insane jealousy to me, there is an old saying suck it up buttercup and if you cant handle the heat get out of the kitchen
Why am I not surprised? Hart Guy completely ignores the article again, this time about minimum wages, and personally attacks someone else for expressing an opinion he doesn’t like, making a whole series of unsubstantiated diatribes emanating from his hatred of anything that has anything to do with labour, unions, public sector employees and non-rightist sector of the political spectrum. If you’re so poverty stricken and fed up from being a businessman, get a job!
Ok, I’m not in a polite mood anymore, haha!
Boo freaking Hoo to both of you ice and ammmonra! Typical left wing crap about sucking it up buttercup, can’t handle the heat so get out of the kitchen, fed up from being a businessman, get a job!
How come you losers never suggest to those that complain about their low minimum wages, that perhaps they should have stayed in school, or they should have spent less each month on Starbucks and the latest and greatest new cellphone instead of saving their money to help pay for a college or university education so that they aren’t stuck in a low paying minimum wage job?
Many people, NOT ALL PEOPLE, but many who are stuck in low paying minimum wage job are there because they can’t be bothered to get off of their butts to do something to better themselves and their personal lot in life!
I’m all for helping those that are truly in need, but for those that lack any degree of personal accountability and desire for self-improvement, well sorry, but you folks are on your own!
Well, not really on your own! After all, you have bleeding heart whiners like ice, ammonra and Lanzinger on your side!
Hart Guy asks, “How come you losers never suggest to those that complain about their low minimum wages, that perhaps they should have stayed in school,”
One, I had a successful career, not just a job. I didn’t lose, I won nearly all the grievances I handled. Therefore, I am a winner.
Two, I have always recommended that students get a good education, or go back to school to get a better one, or take advanced training to improve their career prospects. I have done that for more than 50 years, and I still do. How typical that you make an unsubstantiated assumption that I have never done so. Do you ever get anything right?
Thirdly, Yes, I am a bleeding heart. My heart bleeds when children don’t get enough to eat because of government policies. My heart bleeds when a child refugee drowns. My heart bleeds when people become addicted to noxious materials and end up destroying their lives. My heart bleeds over and over. How happy for you that they leave you unmoved.
So ammonra, are you advocating for bettering one’s self so that one is able to rise above minimum wage employment, or are you advocating for an increase in the minimum wage so that one need not worry about ever bettering one’s self?
Why does it have to be either/or, Hart Guy. As they say, “Different strokes for different folks.” Circumstances and abilities differ, as do people’s opportunities in life. Children of abusive drug addicts, for instance, may never have an opportunity to get a good education, or may suffer from fetal alcohol syndrome all their lives. As citizens, they deserve support not condemnation, even if they are never capable of bettering themselves, as you put it.
To empathize is to civilize … To civilize is to empathize . They are in fact inseparable . J.R.
The some hardest working people that I meet are the cashiers at the lines in the grocery stores and cashiers in general . I really like you gals ( there are way more girls than guys ) and guys . And , you know those guys and gals that abuse you and treat you like shit . I’m not that guy . That’s why you told me about them . Wel , my hat is off to you for the job you do and it hurts my heart that those a holes that employ you , don’t pay you a living wage . I for one would change that if I could . Thank you for your sevice and smile .
ammonra, you will note that I stated:
“Many people, NOT ALL PEOPLE, but many who are stuck in low paying minimum wage job are there because they can’t be bothered to get off of their butts to do something to better themselves and their personal lot in life!”
I think that is a reasonably fair and truthful statement!
I also stated:
“I’m all for helping those that are truly in need, but for those that lack any degree of personal accountability and desire for self-improvement, well sorry, but you folks are on your own!”
See, I’m not such a bad guy! I’m all for helping those that are truly in need! I’m not as heartless as you might think, but you and I obviously have COMPLETELY different views on a person’s personal responsibility!
If everyone got a university education and became professionals, then who would cut our hair, serve our food and do all the things which we expect for low pay.
Just because they work in the service industries is no reason to expect them to live in poverty. We need these people as much or more than we need professionals.
I work in a barely above minimum wage job at the moment. I was looking to go back to school to get a better paying job… but I cant afford it because the 4 month course I want to take costs $5000 an cant get a student loan for because of the format of the course and cant get funding for AND I’M QUOTING SOMEONE FROM WORK BC — “a)You are white, You don’t have kids, You are not addicted to anything, are not disabled, and can actually keep a job”. I want to be one of those people who is self sufficient and is not living paycheque to paycheque. The wages right now do not let me do that. Raising the minimum wage would be a really good thing
‘No company should have the right to employ a person without paying them a living wage. ‘ – An obvious NDP supporter. So now the employee should dictate the wage, and not the employer? lol
Yes, by all means – give them what they want!!! BUT, don’t belly ache when the burgers and coffee goes up in price accordingly. But wait: you will probably want to control prices.
Methinks the only solution is for all businesses to be owned and controlled by a NDP Government OR the BC Federation of Labour. Not sure i want to see that.
Ah you all have it wrong about hartguy. Hart guy Loves unions, union leaders and Tim Hortons coffee. Hart guy is trying to live the American Dream. To bad hart guy never learnt how. Advice hart guy. Watch the 6 o’clock news once in awhile. Yesterday one story was that millionaires not not associate with negitive people and are very picky who they chose to associate with!! Guess you changed the channel before the story could finish. Maybe thats why you’ll never make it!!
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