Food bank commits to Living Wage for employees
By Alejandra Pulido-Guzman - Lethbridge Herald on March 16, 2022.
LETHBRIDGE HERALDapulido@lethbridgeherald.com The Interfaith Food Bank Society of Lethbridge is now a member of the Alberta Living Wage Network and has made a commitment to its employees to pay them the living wage of the municipality.The living wage for the municipality of Lethbridge is $19 per hour, based on a study made by the Alberta Living Wage Network
“They take a look at what does it cost to live in the different communities throughout the province, how much should employers be paying to have their employees not only survive but thrive,” said Danielle McIntyre, executive director of the Interfaith Food Bank Society of Lethbridge.
She said that instead of it being based off of minimum wage or what the bare minimum is for you to live, the living wage is something that allows you to live a dignified life which includes things like tuition and entertainment.
“When this wage report came out in November at $19 an hour for the community it really solidified our thoughts that we had, because we had always known that we had wages that were much lower than they should be for our staff,” said McIntyre.
She said the living wage report provides them with a starting point.
“We used the data from the Alberta living wage report when we did our compensation review at the beginning of this year, when we were building our budget for this fiscal year and so basically we said $19 is the bare minimum that we’re going to pay our staff,” said McIntyre.
She said they cannot be out in the community telling everyone how important it is to prevent poverty, and then be part of the problem themselves. They implemented the living wage in January 2022.
“We’re hoping that by being certified ourselves, it will be inspiring to some of the other employers in our community to say ‘hey if the food bank can do it, we could probably do it’,” said McIntyre.
The Social Health Equity Network for Lethbridge and Area (SHENLA) spokesperson Sharon Yanicki congratulated the Interfaith Food Bank as the first organization to be recognized as a Living Wage Employer in Lethbridge.
“It was great to hear that the work of the Alberta Living Wage Network, in collaboration with United Way of Lethbridge and Area, and SHENLA in calculating and promoting a living wage in Lethbridge in November 2021, was the stimulus for this action,” said Yanicki.
“It is helpful if you have a decent wage to not only keep the employee morale up but to also ensure that you don’t have that turnover that causes you to waste money in business,” said McIntyre.
She said they have over 150 volunteers that they have to supervise with their paid staff team and if they are constantly changing because people cannot afford to work there, they are not doing as good of a job for the community as they would be able to do if they had consistent staffing.
“Getting certified through the living wage association helps with building your brand, it helps with showing your customers or your donors that you’re accountable and responsible with your staffing. It’s a good way of showing the true commitment to being ethical in your business practices,” said McIntyre. Follow @APulidoHerald on Twitter 4
-3
