Copyright CGIN June 2010. CGIN members may reprint or reproduce this item for internal use only as long as the copyright is credited. All rights reserved.
CGIN is pleased to present the Cooperative Livable Wage Model, version 2.4.
It’s been a wild ride of a year since the CGIN Cooperative Livable Wage Model was updated a two years ago. Food prices spiked, and fell back down though are still higher than a year ago. Rents are up in most markets. Transportation fluctuated with the volatility of gas prices. The upshot is that the livable wage has probably increased in most communities since 2009, but not as much as we might have anticipated a year ago.
This project began as a result of calls from co-op managers and leaders for the need to share resources and ideas to meet their desire to be responsible employers and provide livable wages to co-op employees. In some areas, there are organized advocacy groups working and bringing pressure to co-ops to pay a “livable” wage (also called “living wage”). Even in the absence of such groups, many co-op managers and directors want their co-ops to be responsible employers and were interested in a tool that they could use to measure how their wages meet the basic living needs of employees.
This model is made up of two sections, one which is available to all members, and the other at an additional charge:
The background provides the following:
The worksheet for calculating the livable wage for your co-op and step-by-step instructions for completing the worksheet. In addition, the model also includes in-depth case studies from three co-ops, as well as shorter descriptions of how five other co-ops have adapted the model to fit their needs and situations. Finally, the model also includes a “frequently asked questions” page that can be edited for your co-op to use in explaining the model and your calculations to board or staff members.
This complete package is available to CGIN members for a charge of $50, $35 to those who purchased earlier versions of the model and are interested in “upgrading” their calculations or gaining access to these updated materials. In the future, co-ops that purchase the livable wage model materials will continue to be eligible for upgrades of these materials at a discounted rate when they are released.
We welcome your feedback on this model and will seriously consider all suggestions. Feel free to send suggestions and comments about the model to Carolee Colter or about CGIN’s presentation of the model to CGIN.
CGIN is committed to revising these materials to take advantage of the suggestions for improvement made by users, and to update links and data sources to reflect the latest cost of living information available. We will announce when the updated version is available on the CGIN listserve.
Finally, please note that these materials are copyrighted to CGIN. CGIN members are welcome to copy and use these materials for internal purposes. Please do not copy or forward these documents to others.
See also livable wage implementation materials from the Brattleboro Food Co-op in the basic resource library.