While I do seem to recall that minimum wage laws in Canada have exceptions including for agricultural workers - oddly, in Alberta, extras in film or radio productions are out as well - I am a bit surprised to read there is a suggestion that there be wholesale "two tiered" minimum wage as a general matter in one of our provinces:
A two-tiered minimum wage for P.E.I. was hotly debated Wednesday as over a dozen Islanders argued the pros and cons of a differentiated wage. Speaking to the MLAs on the Standing Committee on Community and Intergovernmental Affairs, a number of Holland College students and concerned citizens presented differing views on whether the province should adopt two different minimum wages — one for experienced and another for inexperienced workers. Some supported the changes, saying they believed new employees should not receive the same benefits as those who have been working the same job for several years.
Several years? Years? I could see maybe a six month provisional period for people under 20 years... maybe but years??? How many skills do you think it takes to hold a mini wage job that it would take years to earn the full regal status as a upper tier minimum wage earner?
Comments
Matthew Fletcher - February 11, 2010 1:59 PM
I suspect what these people want is a financial recognition of the de facto two-tiered existence in many minimum-wage work places.
In the minimum wage (and close to-it) jobs that I have worked (which was not that long ago) there are usually two classes of folks:
1. The newer, always turning over cohort, which is usually students. They take a minmum wage job to get-by, but they have no intention of staying for long, and with their education complete they are moving on to better paying jobs (at least they hope).
2. The older, usually less educated, employees who have been in the same job for years and for whom this job is their living.
Because wages at minimum wage workplaces rise so slowly, if at all (and legislated increases to the minimum wage often close the gap), new, usually student, hires make almost as much as the long-time employees which causes resentment. Basically, the long-time employees want a recognition of their years of service, not necessarily their skills.
Alan - February 11, 2010 5:13 PM
Could be but PEI is hardly a leader in the labour world. And this would represent a reduction for low tier minnies not a boost in upper tier minnies.
Matthew Fletcher - February 11, 2010 5:58 PM
I'm sure the long-term folks would be satisfied with a reduction for the lower-tier. What they care about most is the differential. These folks resent having worked at the same job for 15 years and only making 5 cents more per hour than the 19 year old who started last week and wont be there 5 months from now.