Why paying a Living Wage matters at BC Libraries Cooperative

In this short blog, Kevin Millsip, Executive Director of the BC Libraries Cooperative explains why the Co-op became a Living Wage Employer, and the benefits they’ve found from being part of the program.

The BC Libraries Co-op is a not-for-profit co-op with a mandate to help libraries help people. We build and maintain well-supported, open-source IT infrastructure for our members, which include a little over 200 diverse, Canadian, not-for-profit, library-related organizations. We also make books accessible to readers with print disabilities across Canada. We have 44 staff working across 7 provinces.

We have been a Living Wage Employer since 2021. We certified for a few reasons: to ensure anyone who works for us is paid a living wage and to act as an ambassador for the Living Wage to other employers and the library sector.

Since becoming a Living Wage Employer, we’ve noticed tangible, positive changes in our workplace. At the time we certified, all of our regular staff were already earning above the Living Wage. However, certification established a consistent minimum base rate for any role within the organization. It ensures that annual wage increases stay in line with the Living Wage and that anyone doing contract work with us is paid the Living Wage as a minimum. For example, we worked with the company that provides our office cleaning services to negotiate an increase in their contract, so that the people who clean our office were paid the Living Wage as a minimum. This helped extend our commitment beyond our immediate staff to others who contribute to our workplace every day.

Paying a Living Wage doesn’t just benefit our team; it strengthens the local economy and helps families thrive. We’re proud to be part of a movement that’s making a difference across sectors for the communities we live and work in. When workers have more income, much of that money will be used in the local economy, helps reduce financial stressors and contributes to overall health of staff, their families and in the wider community. Also, we proudly note that we’re a Living Wage employer in our communications with members. With each year’s new Living Wage calculation, we ensure that all staff and contractors working for us are paid above the new floor.

We encourage others to join us in becoming Living Wage Employers. Together, we can create a fairer, more sustainable future for everyone.
Certifying as a Living Wage Employer is a voluntary commitment employers make to invest in their communities and local economies. There are now over 450 Living Wage Employers across BC.

The living wage is the hourly amount someone needs to earn to pay for basic essentials like food and rent, it doesn’t include paying off debt or saving for retirement. The Living Wage for Vancouver is now $27.85 an hour. Find out more about our co-op on their website: https://bc.libraries.coop

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