In January, the Willy St. Co-op instituted phase one of livable wage plan, increasing entry-level staff pay from $10.69 to $11.50 an hour.
After calculating where it should be for Madison — $13.62 — by taking into account things like rent, food, health care, transportation, cell-phone plans, miscellaneous expenses, and employer paid benefits, the local co-op admits there’s work to be done.
By increasing sales and improving efficiencies without increasing labor hours, the co-op hopes to be paying a livable wage within three years to meet livability standards around Madison.
