At the fifth annual Healthy Monadnock Summit, to be held today at Keene State College, the Monadnock Living Wage Work Group will announce the area businesses that have committed to paying workers a living wage of $15 an hour by 2020.
Research shows a strong connection between living wages and improved health outcomes. According to the MLWWG’s local living wage calculator, an wage of less than $15 per hour is inadequate to maintain a safe and decent standard of living in the Monadnock region (food, housing, transportation, healthcare, personal care, etc.). Linda Rubin, director for the Healthy Community Initiative, says that nationally, 40 percent of households do not make an income to achieve a modest, but adequate standard of living.
To achieve this goal, Healthy Monadnock facilitates the Monadnock Living Wage Work Group, a coalition of 15 area business, health, faith, social service, government, nonprofit and education leaders. The group has identified the wage/income gap as a key opportunity for working together to make the Monadnock region a healthier place to live, learn, work, play and heal. The group worked with Keene State College’s American Democracy Project to calculate the $15 an hour living wage (for a single adult female, age 35) for the region
The Healthy Monadnock’s 2016 Summit, will run from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. today at Keene State College; a healthy breakfast and lunch will be provided to participants. Register for free at: www.healthymonadnock.org/calendar/tapestry-of-hope.