BC FORUM News - from the BC Federation of Labour

October 5, 2017

BC Federation of Labour welcomes the establishment
of the Fair Wages Commission

Vancouver – The BC Federation of Labour welcomes today’s announcement on the Fair Wages Commission and looks forward to taking part in the consultation process.

“We are eager to get this process started,” said Irene Lanzinger, President of the BC Federation of Labour. “We welcome the news that the Commission has been established and is ready to get to work.

“It is no secret that the BCFED is pushing the government to implement a $15 an hour minimum wage. We strongly believe that people working full-time should not find themselves living below the poverty line,” said Lanzinger. “I am pleased that we finally have a provincial government that agrees with this basic principle.”

The BC Federation of Labour’s Fight for $15 campaign calls for a $15 an hour minimum wage for all employees, no exceptions.

Lanzinger said that the BCFED’s proposal to the Commission will include the elimination of the server wage, which is currently $10.10 an hour, and the elimination of piece rate for farmworkers. Further, it will advocate for an aggressive timeline to reach $15 an hour.

“The longer we wait to get to $15 an hour the further behind low-wage workers fall. Not only do we need to raise the wage quickly, but we then need a mechanism to ensure wages keep pace with the cost of living and begin to better reflect a real living wage,” said Lanzinger. “We can’t get to $15 and think our work is done.”