Will for a living wage exists, but resources may not

We have just entered 2016, and the No. 1 topic of conversation that I’ve had thus far has been poverty in Niagara.

While we hear about poverty year round, it is always a much more prevalent topic around the holidays. This is when many of us step up to the plate and financially support some feel good initiatives for people less fortunate.

We all think we understand poverty in our community. However, the truth is that most of us do not. I think that many of us would be surprised to learn that some of our neighbours, colleagues, friends and even family are living in poverty. Just because a household has both parents working full-time jobs doesn’t mean that it has the standard of living or quality of life that allows for good health, education, entertainment opportunities and full participation in modern life.

When most of us think about what makes our lives good, it’s our health and being able to proactively stay healthy. It’s educating ourselves with special interest courses, books and experiences. It’s the fun times that we share with friends, getting together for dinner or going to a concert. It’s the memories of a family trip when no one thinks of the regular stresses of life. It’s the joy of Christmas shopping and buying the perfect gift for your spouse or children. It’s the enjoyment of watching your child play on a sports team and making new friends. These are not overly ambitious desires, yet for many hard working people in our community, these simple pleasures are just not within their reach.

We typically view poverty as someone living on the streets or in their car. We assume it affects those with no education, no job and no skills. This is not true. Here in Niagara, there are thousands and thousands of people who have education, jobs and skills, yet they live in poverty. Folks who understand this issue, far better than I, attribute it largely to the cost of living in Niagara and to the wages that are paid.

This issue is not unique to Niagara. Communities across North America are trying to come up with solutions. Many have introduced a “living wage.” A living wage is based on a formula that determines the wage level required for a family with two children and two parents employed full time year round to meet a basic standard of living within the community. Here in Niagara, a group has been working on this and it is my understanding that the living wage for Niagara will be presented early this year.

When this is released, I anticipate many conversations to be generated, likely centralized on how the living wage compares to our actual wage. As a representative of the business sector and on behalf of thousands of employers, I am reminding people to keep an open mind about this topic. I expect that when people realize that the new living wage and their current wages do not match, the burden will fall on the employers. I’m sure that a common comment will be that greedy business owners just need to step up and pay all of their employees at minimum the living wage, whatever it may be. That if employers just paid good wages and provided benefits, then the problem would go away.

Serving more than 1,500 businesses, I can honestly say that I have not met one single employer who does not want to provide their employees with a positive work experience. They certainly want to pay fair wages and provide all of the things they can so that the employees are satisfied and stay with them.

The will to provide a living wage is there. The reality is that the resources may not be. And there lies the rub.

When a figure like this is released it is often viewed as the new ideal and, for many, the expectation. Is it fair to look to our business owners, the majority of which are working endless hours running their small business to keep it afloat, and demand that they jack up their wages in order to meet this new standard? And let me ask this: what will happen when the company’s revenue does not cover the expense of paying its employees? Hours are cut. Employees are let go. And businesses fail without them.

The fact is that the gap between living wage — whatever it may be — and actual wages needs to be filled. The reality is that it is unreasonable to expect employers to assume this responsibility entirely. This is where I ask people to have an open mind. How else can we bridge the gap? Can government step up and be part of the solution. How about other groups and agencies? Does our economic development strategy align itself with what local businesses need to achieve in order to be in a position to afford a living wage? What about the good old taxpayer?

We all agree that people should have an income to afford not only the basics but the ability to not live in poverty. Why then is the burden always firmly put to the business owners? If we all agree to implement a living wage to help combat poverty, then shouldn’t we all shoulder the burden?

Dolores Fabiano is executive director of Niagara Falls, Port Colborne-Wainfleet and Welland-Pelham chambers of commerce.