Imperial Sign Corp., based in Port Coquitlam, B.C., is the first signmaker in the province to signify its commitment to ending working poverty, by paying all its staff and contracted workers a living wage.
Imperial Sign Corp., based in Port Coquitlam, B.C., is the first signmaker in the province to signify its commitment to ending working poverty, by paying all its staff and contracted workers a living wage.
This remuneration is the hourly amount a family needs to cover basic expenses. The calculation is based on a two-parent household with two children—the most common family unit in B.C.—with each parent working full-time.
The living wage for Metro Vancouver is $19.50 an hour.
“The cost of living is one of the biggest challenges many Canadians face,” said the company’s managing director, Tom Corner. “By paying wages that help us attract and re-train top young talent, we are able to support the Living Wage movement, while also investing in our workforce.”
“We’re delighted Imperial Sign Corp. has committed to paying their staff a living wage. It will help give visibility to such an important issue and also highlight the campaign with others in the sector. Paying a living wage is good for the employer, the employee, and the local community. We invite other employers to join the movement,” said Living Wage for Families Campaign’s organizer, Anastasia French.
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We’ve been offering and paying BETTER than living wage at Peninsula Signs Ltd in Sidney for over 3 years!
It’s not a a fair statement to say they are the first sign shop in BC to offer living wage to their employees. Maybe through your organization but certainly not the first in the province. I wonder how anyone could offer less than a working wage in the lower mainland if $19.50 is considered the living wage. We are on the island and we have paid above the living wage for years as well.
The Title of your article is offensive to all other sign shops that have practiced paying fair wages. I have owned companies in both Vancouver and the Okanagan for 30 years and I have never offered minimum wage to any employee. If you think that $19.50 an hour is a living wage in Vancouver, you are dreaming, that is still poverty. That represents less than $30,000 per year take home, now subtract their rent, food, transportation and other basic life necessities.
You might be surprised how many solid employers actually offer a good wage, benefits and bonuses to their employees.
Choose your titles more carefully in the future please.
It’s great to see so many employers who are paying their staff more than the Living Wage! To become a certified Living Wage Employer, an organisation also needs to ensure that both direct and contracted staff are earning a Living Wage. This might mean flaggers on construction sites, security staff or office cleaners who are typically very low paid and working indirectly for the company. In addition, an organization commits to ensuring that wages are lifted if the Living Wage goes up when it is recalculated on an annual basis.
The Living Wage is the very minimum that a family needs to be able to make ends meet. We always want to encourage and support employers that go above and beyond to make sure their employees are taken care of.
For more information about the Living Wage calculations or how to become a certified Living Wage Employer please visit the Living Wage for Families Website – http://www.livingwageforfamilies.ca
I’m always happy to answer any questions about the campaign – so please do get in touch!
Thanks,
Anastasia