Fair Wages Commission makes only stop in northern BC

The Fair Wages Commission was in Prince George today looking for any and all opinions on the $15/hour minimum wage for the province.

The commission heard from various sources such as students, retired workers, and even the Secretary-Treasurer of the BC Federation of Labour, Aaron Ekman.

So far the response has been all for the raise. Presenters saying the sooner, the better.

— My Prince George Now (@mypgnow) November 28, 2017

Ekman mirrored the majority of the presenters, saying minimum wage needs to go up as soon as possible.

“There’s really some economic benefits in ensuring that as prices continue to increase as they do, so do wages for our lowest income earners in British Columbia,” explains Ekman.

“That’s what good for British Columbia and the economy.”

One key factor for Ekman’s argument is the effect the raise would have on small businesses, who already pay higher than most corporations.

“They would like to be able to retain their employees, the know there is a higher cost in having to re-train employees especially in the north and the interior,” Ekman says.

“There’s a lot of reasons why working folks leave the north and interior so they have to pay a higher rate to retain those folks.”

BC’s Labour Federation has been lobbying for a higher minimum wage since 2012.

The BC-wide tour is for the Fair Wage Commission to gather input on if British Columbians are on board for the wage raise and how they believe the process should move forward including a timetable between now and when the final product of $15/hour should be implemented.

It is phase one of a three-phase project, with the other phases looking at living wage, and how to reconcile the differences between the two.

“We’ve been advocating for this since 2012…” @aaronekman argues the longer the delay of a $15/hour increase, the longer some people will have to make decision on food vs education, etc.

— My Prince George Now (@mypgnow) November 28, 2017