Even though congregations are mission driven organizations, they are also employers, not only of the pastor or clergy, but of administrative staff, musicians, grounds people, maintenance staff and others. People employed by congregations need living wages to feed their families, just like everyone else. By becoming living wage certified, congregations encourage members of their congregations and others in the community to become living wage employers. VICPP is partnering with Living Wage for Us, a national living wage group that has developed a sophisticated model for determining living wages by county and city. Tier One, ranging from $15 to $18 in Virginia, is the entry wage and employers commit to working to reach Tier Two. Tier Two, ranging from $16 to $24, is the real living wage and can include offsets like housing or childcare assistance, however, VICPP is not yet set up to handle the offset calculations. Thus, we are certifying at the Tier One or Tier Two level solely based on wages. Click HERE to see the Tier One and Two levels for your county or city. The application to be certified is easy. Please ask the appropriate person or committee in your congregation to apply to be living wage certified if you meet the standards of either Tier One or Two. Simply forward this email. All information provided on the application will remain confidential. You can also copy and paste this link to access the application: www.livingwagevirginia.org/congregations/
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