LUISA D'AMATO ASKS WILFRED LAURIER UNIVERSITY A DIFFICULT QUESTION

WLU have an excellent reputation on many fronts. Unfortunately while they apparently have plenty of money for big shot administrators and other high tech educational toys they just don't seem to have enough to pay a living wage to some full time employees. In fact from paying an excellent union wage to custodians they are about to go down a very dirty and nasty road. New custodial jobs will no longer be union jobs paying $21 an hour. Oh no the new wages will be $12.90 per hour. From a wage capable of supporting a family (modestly) the wages for the exact same work will be less than a single person can comfortably live on. Speaking of the exact same work can anyone say wage equity? Remember that bullshit about equal pay for work of equal value? Apparently WLU and other employers think it's just fine to pay two employees side by side doing the exact same work (cleaning), grotesquely different wages. And it's legal. God bless our government, our Ministry of Labour, our bureaucrats and our politicians. Let's also not forget all Chamber of Commerce types who believe any and all reductions in living wages are just dandy (for them at least cause their employers not employees).

Luisa D'Amato's excellent Opinion column today is titled "If Wilfred Laurier University won't pay a living wage, then who will?".