Health unit says workers need to make $15.15/hour
How much money do you need to make to live in Windsor-Essex? $15.15 per hour, according to the Living Wage calculations of the health unit.
On Friday, the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit released its annual estimation of a livable rate of pay based on the real costs of goods and services in the local area.
The end figure is 8.2 per cent higher than Ontario’s official minimum wage, $14 per hour. “The Living Wage is calculated with a national framework, but using local data. It’s a better reflection of the actual cost of living in a particular community, at a basic level,” explained Neil Mackenzie, a health promotion manager with the WECHU.
$15.15 per hour assumes the employer is not providing family health benefits.
The calculation requires other assumptions as well: The wage must sustain two 35-year- old adult parents working 35 hours per week, with two children ages seven and three.
This hypothetical family must also be receiving every government subsidy, transfer, and benefit currently available to them. Basic costs that are factored into the calculation include food, shelter, utilities, household furnishings, transportation, daycare, telephone, and basic internet. Mackenzie noted that there are many factors the calculation does not include — most importantly, any savings for education or retirement.
Pets are also not a part of the calculation, nor are vices such as tobacco or alcohol. “$15.15 an hour is not a lot of money,” Mackenzie added. “It’s the least you need to have healthy food, a roof over your head, basic amenities, and to participate in your community.”
It’s only the second year that the WECHU has published a Living Wage.
Last year’s Living Wage in Windsor-Essex was calculated at $14.81 per hour.
A key part of the program is to convince local employers to become Living Wage Certified — meaning they are committed to paying all full-time and part-time employees at least the amount of the Living Wage. Mackenzie said only 19 employers in Windsor-Essex are currently Living Wage Certified. But the WECHU hopes to increase that number in earnest this year with a more robust promotional campaign. According to WECHU, employers becoming Living Wage Certified show the public that they are “socially responsible,” and that they are invested in the local economy and a healthy community. Mackenzie said paying the Living Wage can also benefit employers in ways such as worker recruitment, retention, and morale. Living Wage Certified employers receive “positive branding” materials from the WECHU, and are recognized by the WECHU on social media and at an annual Healthy Workplace event. “One of the key determinants of health is income,” Mackenzie said. “If we can help people elevate their income to have the resources they require for meaningful participation in their families and community ... it will go a long way to improving their health.”