Last week, we reported on the forthcoming December 31 closure of Orange County Living Wage (OCLW), a non-profit that has worked tirelessly to promote Orange County businesses that pay a living wage, and to connect workers with jobs that pay living wages. Over 300 employees appeared on the living wage roster. We have uploaded the most recent version (March 2024) of the directory to our website, and have put the entire guide in the Internet Archive so that it will be accessible.
Susan Romaine, who previously served on the Carrboro Town Council, was one of the founders of OCLW. We recently spoke to Susan about the organization’s closure.
So first, how is everyone at Orange County Living Wage feeling about the decision to end operations on December 31?
Our Board’s decision to dissolve OCLW at the end of the year was not made lightly. We discussed the possibility of closure at two different board meetings and mulled it over in the days in between. All of us recognize the unique role OCLW has played in Orange County, certifying and promoting living wage employers while raising awareness about the many benefits of a living wage for the community as a whole. But we faced strong headwinds. After a sudden drop in funding from the County two years ago, our fundraising simply could not keep pace with the ongoing cost of our operations. As fiduciary guardians of OCLW, our Board made a prudent, unanimous decision to bring our almost ten-year ride to an end.
What is an important lesson you learned over the course of your time with OCLW?
The first seed for OCLW was planted in early 2015, during an Orange County Democratic Party annual precinct meeting. At that time, the state’s $7.25 minimum wage had not budged in six years. We discussed lobbying to raise the minimum wage at the state or federal level; but the time frame for change seemed too long. We wanted to do something that would make an immediate impact. A quick web search uncovered two voluntary living wage certification programs in North Carolina: Just Economics, in Asheville, and the Durham Living Wage Project. We jumped in with a similar initiative in Orange County.
Fast forward ten years. The state’s minimum wage has still not budged, not even to adjust for inflation. But thanks to OCLW’s certification program, the wages of Orange County workers have jumped by over $3.5 million, disproportionately going into the pockets of women and workers of color. In other words, one year of small, incremental change after another has added up to a very sizeable wage hike for workers here in our community. It’s an example of not underestimating the value of change in small increments. Sometimes, it can produce a far better outcome than waiting on broad, sweeping reform.
How have your certified living wage employers reacted to the news about OCLW closing at the end of the year?
They have been supportive of the decision and appreciative of our voluntary certification program. Vera Fabian of Ten Mothers Farm says certification was a way to “market their values” and “hold themselves accountable as a business from year to year.” Nora Spencer of Hope Renovations emailed to say, “the OCLW stamp has definitely become a badge of honor in our community.” Our scrappy, volunteer-driven organization was also described as “the best bang for the buck around.” That’s because more cash in the pockets of low-wage workers means more spending locally – on a haircut, car repairs, a new pair of glasses, or a holiday gift for a friend. All of that spending is a shot-in-the-arm to the local economy, boosting profits, creating jobs, and adding more revenue to the county coffers to boot.
The directory of living wage certified employers appearing on your website has been helpful for consumers wanting to align their values with their dollars. Are there any ways that these consumers can continue to patronize certified employers after OCLW closes on December 31?
Yes, definitely! Our directory of 261 certified employers will be live until December 2025, so that supporters can seek them out and patronize them for another full year. We are also letting our locally certified living wage employers know about a national certification program through Living Wage for US, which sets its living wage based on geography. Based on the formula OCLW uses, the 2025 living wage will be $19.90 (or $18.40 for employers paying at least half the cost of health insurance.) We believe the Living Wage for US wage will be right around this same amount. So, encourage businesses that you frequent to complete an application to become a nationally certified living wage employer – then give them your thanks and your business!
Whenever a chapter ends, it can be nice to think about possibilities for a new chapter. Do you have any ideas yet on what’s next for you and OCLW?
Over the past decade, OCLW has assembled a special coalition of business owners and workers; nonprofit and faith-based organizations; county, municipal and public school officials; and community activists and consumers to champion living wages. If ever there was a time to build on that coalition and push for change at the state level, this is it. For the fourth straight year, the nonprofit Oxfam ranks North Carolina as the worst state in the country in which to work.
As a first step in moving up from the bottom rung, it’s time – long past time – for North Carolina to join 30 other states and the District of Columbia in raising our unconscionable, $7.25 minimum wage and indexing it to inflation. While we’re at it, we should join dozens of other states in raising our $2.13 minimum wage for tipped employees. Next up: restoring North Carolina’s earned income tax credit allowing low-wage workers and working families to keep more of their hard-earned dollars to cover the cost of their most basic needs. Thirty-one other states recognize the importance of the EITC in addressing working poverty (full-time workers living in poverty). It’s time for North Carolina to follow suit.
With just these three practical, common-sense, widely popular measures, North Carolina could go a long way in becoming a more worker-friendly state. But it will take some work to get there, including finding ways for OCLW’s coalition to team up with coalitions around the state pushing for a similar agenda. To learn more, email me at [email protected]. I’d love to hear from you!