Orange County Living Wage to Implement Application Fee Beginning April 1
Starting April 1, 2024, Orange County Living Wage will implement a new application fee to support the staff and infrastructure necessary to maintain and expand our programming.
The fee structure:
Employers with 0-9 employees: $50
Employers with 10-49 employees: $100
Employers with 50 or more employees: $200
Employers will pay the fee at the time of the application for certification – or at the time of re-certification, which is required every two years to stay in the program. Once an application is submitted, employers will be directed to a payment processing link. Applications will be processed once the non-refundable fee is paid.
If employers become official program sponsors of OCLW, the application fee is waived. Contact debbie@orangecountylivingwage.org to learn more about sponsorship packages.
Note: If re-certification is due between now and June 30, 2024, employers can go ahead and fill out the application by March 31 to re-certify early and avoid the fee.
All certified employers receive:
- Certification Bundle: a framed certificate, OCLW decal, car magnet, breakroom poster, and a PDF of certificate to use for marketing and grant purposes
- Website Bundle: business/organization name added to OCLW online directory of certified employers and the ability to submit unlimited postings to the OCLW job board
- Marketing Bundle: a marketing toolkit to help with social media and newsletters, a workplace photo shoot with a professional photographer, a foam board or framed poster with an image of and quote from a living wage employee, a listing in the Directory of Employers brochure, an announcement of all new certifications on WCHL, a social media post by OCLW announcing certification or re-certification, a social media post per quarter announcing events, free tabling opportunities at all OCLW fundraising events, free marketing opportunities during International Living Wage Week. For retailers: a free option to be included in the National Living Wage Holiday Buying Guide.
- Programming Bundle: an invitation to all of OCLW’s employer roundtable networking events and all employer/employee workshops
“Since our inception in 2015, it’s been free to become living wage certified, and we have been proud to certify 371 businesses and organizations over the years,” says OCLW Director Debbie Everly. “As our organization expands – and as we move forward with our strategic plan over the next couple of years – we must reevaluate our model in order to better serve the OCLW community and the community at large.”
Questions about this change? Reach out to info@orangecountylivingwage.org.