Vancouver’s NPA council majority refuses to help
thousands of low–paid workers

April 18, 2007 BC Fed

Vancouver – In a close six to five vote Tuesday, the NPA majority on Vancouver City Council refused to lend support to efforts to boost BC’s minimum wage and win a raise for thousands of low-paid workers.

The resolution, bought forward by Vision Vancouver Councillor Raymond Louie, asked Council to call on the provincial government to increase the minimum wage for the first time in six years to $10 per hour. Mayor Sam Sullivan and his NPA colleagues used a procedural move to rebuff the motion.

B.C. Federation of Labour President Jim Sinclair, said he’s disappointed given Sullivan’s talk of tackling poverty. “Vancouver is the most expensive city in Canada to live in and also has alarming levels of poverty that result from workers earning wages that don’t even meet poverty level standards,” said Sinclair. “Instead of real leadership, they’ve turned a deaf ear.”

Sinclair noted recent statistics show that low-paid jobs are actually on the increase. "It's a sign that Premier Campbell is on the wrong track when it comes to ensuring that all of us are sharing in economic growth - not just a privileged few."

About 115,000 British Columbians earn the minimum, while another 135,000 earn less than $10 an hour.

So far, 14 BC municipal governments – including Surrey, North Vancouver City, Nanaimo and Burnaby – have endorsed the call for the Campbell government to boost the minimum wage to $10 per hour.

Sinclair, whose organization has launched a $10 NOW Campaign, says when cost of living is taken into account, BC’s current $8 rate is actually the second lowest in Canada.

Unlike minimum wage earners who, under the Campbell Liberals, have gone without a raise since 2001, Vancouver council members receive annual pay increases thanks to a cost of living formula.