Hamilton Just Chose Not To Pay Its Student & Part-Time Workers A Living Wage

Students and others thinking of making some cash working for the City of Hamilton might want to think again. Councillors have voted against a Hamilton living wage bill which proposed raising the hourly salaries of the city's part-time and seasonal employees to well above minimum wage. This move will reportedly affect thousands of jobs including student and summer work over the next three years.

The vote came to 10-4 at a council meeting on Tuesday, March 3, reports CBC.

The city's mayor, Fred Eisenberger, supported councillor Nrinder Nann's motion, but it was nevertheless defeated by a large margin.

One councillor who voted against it, Terry Whitehead, went as far as to call the concept "socialism at its worst," as quoted by CBC.

According to Hamilton News, poverty activists have called on the city to raise the wage to $16.45 per hour for all non-union part-time staff and summer students who work for the city and Hamilton Public Library.

The city's current minimum wage is $14 hourly.

This year, the cost of spending to increase the wages would have been about $292,500, and about $877,660 over the next three, according to CBC.

According to the Hamilton Spectator, Mayor Eisenberger suggested a compromise in which only the pay of non-union part-time casual workers would be raised. That was also shot down, this time in a 7-7 split.

Among the non-union employees who would have been in line for the wage hike are arena workers, summer students, and other part-time employees.

According to The Ontario Living Wage Network, an hourly living wage for a Hamilton family of four with two adult earners and two children has been identified as $16.45. 

In introducing the motion for its vote, Counc. Nann had said: "We have an opportunity before us as a council to be a leader in Ontario."

According to CBC, Counc. Nann also spoke out for students, stating that some are helping to support their families with their own modest earnings.

"There's a perception out there that young people are working to make beer money, or working to pay for entertainment costs," said Nann.

Counc. Maureen Wilson, who supported Counc. Nann's motion, had also pointed out that rising post-secondary tuition rates seemed a justification for increasing the pay of student workers with the city, per the Spec.

According to CBC, there are about 212 summer students, 346 student labourers, 229 school crossing guards, and 224 non-union workers at the City.

Narcity reached out to the City of Hamilton and its councillors for comment, as well as to Ontario Living Wage Network.