Working poor still underpaid

Minimum wage, living wage aren’t the same, but latter is worth striving for

Re: Minimum wage should not be confused with living wage, Opinion, May 6

Mark von Schellwitz is right that a minimum wage and a living wage are not the same. But he seems to be confused about the difference. He claims the B. C. Federation of Labour’s call for a $ 13 per hour minimum wage would make it a “living wage.” That’s incorrect, and not what those calling for an increase to the minimum wage have said.

The living wage for Metro Vancouver, as calculated by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, and used to officially certifying living wage employers, is $ 20.10 an hour. That’s how much parents with young children need to earn to cover basic expenses in the Lower Mainland. No one has said this should be the new legal minimum wage. Rather, the living wage call is a voluntary one to employers themselves to become living wage employers. This may be beyond the reach of some employers, but many can and should pay it.

The call for the minimum wage to go to $ 13 is different. At this level, a single person working full time and full year would have an income at the poverty line ( a much lower bar). If von Schellwitz and the restaurant industry wish to defend the right of employers to pay a wage below the poverty line, they are welcome to do so. Let’s hope our government chooses a different path.

Getting the minimum wage to at least that level, and establishing a process for regular annual increases, represents an important piece of a broader poverty reduction strategy.

While few B. C. workers make minimum wage, many more ( including many adults and parents) earn between the minimum wage of $ 10.25 and $ 13. SETH KLEIN B. C. Director, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives