‘15 Is Fair’ campaign urges Alberta to ignore fear-mongers and raise minimum wage to $15

Alberta’s labour movement is launching a campaign calling on the government to follow through on promises to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour.

The “15 is Fair” campaign was launched this morning at a press conference at The Local Omnivore, an Edmonton restaurant whose ownership and management support increasing the minimum wage to $15.

The campaign calls for increasing the minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2018, as the premier and labour minister have vowed to do, arguing it will help Albertans who are struggling, and could boost the economy by putting money in the pockets of those who are likeliest to spend it.

“During the last election campaign, the NDP won in part because Albertans overwhelmingly supported their promise to raise the minimum wage,” Alberta Federation of Labour president Gil McGowan said. “While there are vested interests campaigning loudly against the minimum wage, there’s a quiet majority who support the idea that workers should be paid fairly, and who aren’t being heard in this debate. We want them to be heard.”

The campaign has launched a website at www.15isFair.ca that includes an online letter-writing tool to let Albertans write to their MLA to show their support for minimum wages.

“If someone is working full-time, they should not be below the poverty line,” McGowan said. “Anyone earning less than $15 an hour lives below the poverty line. It’s a reality for hundreds of thousands of Albertans.”