Living Wage Campaign: Putting an End to Low Wage Poverty

Since this has come up in both the tipping thread and the bash academics thread I thought it could use a thread of its own.

In BC the campaign began with an HEU committee a few years ago who invited people from London, England to speak on their campaign. Local people in various communities have been actively pushing for municipalities to pay living wages to all people directly and indirectly employed by them.  New Westminster was the first municipality in Canada to adopt the Living Wage ideal. 

Just up the mountain from New West at SFU a group of professors and union activists are trying to get SFU to commit to the Living Wage.

The key for both the city and the university is ensuring all their contracts with other providers of goods and services include a Living Wage clause.

This campaign has the potential to strike at the root causes of poverty if it can catch on across the country. Here is the information on the next upcoming events in Metro Vancouver at the SFU Burnaby mountain campus and Langara College in Vancouver.

If people in other parts of the country know of events in their areas I would be interested in hearing about them.

Quote:

Langara College offers course on Living Wages
January 10th, 2013

‘Low Wages, Living Wages and Child Poverty’

Course registration Number (CRN):50761

with Michael McCarthy Flynn, Living Wage for Families Campaign Organizer

4 Classes: Tuesdays Feb. 12th, 19th, 26th and March 5th2013: 18:30-20:30.

LangaraCollege, 100 West 49 Avenue

Course Highlights

• Understanding the low wage system
• Child poverty overview
• Calculating a Living Wage
• Living Wage campaigns in Canad and the world
• How to develop a local living wage campaign
• To find out more click here for Langara course flier

Quote:

SFU LIVING WAGE CAMPAIGN

Lat year the Living Wage for Families Campaign, in conjunction with a number of groups in SFU, undertook a survey of low wage workers in the University.  Following on from this process the ‘SFU Living Wage Campaign’ was formed with the aim of  persuading SFU to become the first Living Wage Campus in Canada. As the first step in this campaign we would like to invite you to the release of the report:

‘Simon Fraser University: Becoming the First Living Wage University in Canada’

on February 20th, 2013 at 12.30pm-1.30pm
In the West Mall Atrium, SFU.

Hosted by SFU Alumni,
Mae Burrows.

Speakers: Professor Marjorie Griffin Cohen, SFU
Michael McCarthy Flynn, Living Wage for Families Campaign
John Bannister, CUPE 3338

Tea and Coffee

About: This community-based collaborative research report assesses the extent and nature of low wage poverty experienced by people working in Simon Fraser University (SFU) and explores the options open to SFU to address this issue. This event will be the first of a series of dialogues with all members of the SFU community around this issue and provide an opportunity to explore how SFU can ensure that everybody in SFU earns a Living Wage.

Read a summary of the report:
Report Summary
Sign the Petition
http://livingwagesfu.wordpress.com/join-us-get-involved/

Keep up to date with the ‘SFU Living Wage Campaign’ on Social Media:
Facebook and Twitter

e: [email protected]
w: livingwagesfu.wordpress.com

 

http://livingwageforfamilies.ca/