As the year winds down and the holiday season approaches, OCLW is making an unusual end-of-year appeal: we’re asking you to pledge to support living wage businesses from our directory. Here are some ideas:
Hire the services of a living wage employer. Do you have a home or work project that you have been putting off? Contact a living wage employer to take on that project or provide needed expertise.
Purchase gift certificates from living wage employers. Treat yourself, or purchase as gifts for friends, colleagues, and family members.
Patronize our retail and food/beverage living wage employers. Order takeout from your favorite restaurants, breweries, and cafes, or dine safely outside where available.
Make a tax-deductible donation to a 501(c)3 nonprofit on our roster. Many are listed in our directory under “Community Services and Support.”
Our employers need every dollar, customer, and referral that this community can deliver. Thank you for joining OCLW in the fight to lift up our living wage employers and save jobs that pay living wages to thousands in our county!
Since our last newsletter and even while still in the throes of the pandemic, we’re thrilled to announce that several employers have stepped up and committed to paying a living wage of $14.90/hour. They are:
For a list of all of our living wage employers, click here.
“It's no secret that this pandemic has hit our industry with nearly insurmountable losses. Some businesses have had a chance to pivot, and many others simply will not make it. [W]e will only succeed when we band together and vote with our dollars. Spending money with local businesses means that that money stays right here in our community: with our suppliers, our growers, and our staff.”
We’ve launched a job board where living wage jobs are posted. If you are looking for a job, check it out. Tell people you know you are looking for a job. Help us connect to social service providers who help people looking for jobs. It's free for job seekers and helps them connect directly to businesses that are hiring.
“There's always this idea that you can't make a living in the arts, but to have group[s] like OCLW and School of Rock support a living wage makes me feel really awesome as a musician. It puts a concrete monetary value on the work I do, which is extremely empowering.”
OCLW has been supporting folks in Indianapolis who are launching a voluntary living wage certification program! Similar to North Carolina, the minimum wage in Indiana has been $7.25 for 11 years.
Over 61% of Florida voters approved Amendment 2 to scale up the minimum wage from $8.56 to $15 by 2026. Twenty-five (25) states have upcoming minimum wage increases, and five states have increased their minimum wage in the last 6 months. Unfortunately, North Carolina isn’t in either category.
Novant Health, one of Charlotte’s major hospital systems, will raise its minimum wage to $15 per hour for 1300 employees starting in January.
Thanks for reading! As always, please send in recommendations and tips for our next email, and keep supporting the employers on our living wage roster. Stay safe.
