FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: December 2, 2024
Contact: Susan Romaine, susan@orangecountylivingwage.org or 919-619-3408

[Chapel Hill, NC] — Orange County Living Wage (OCLW), a volunteer-driven, nonprofit organization that certifies, recognizes, and promotes Orange County businesses that pay a living wage and assists workers seeking living wage jobs, is closing its operations on December 31. With governmental and philanthropic grants increasingly devoted to direct services, OCLW has been unable to secure the needed funding to sustain its mission of raising wages as a catalyst for the financial security of workers and the economic development of the region. Founded in 2015, OCLW has served as a trusted partner for employers, advocates, and workers across Orange County. With a vision of economic fairness and respect for all workers, OCLW has proudly contributed to building a local economy where workers are paid fairly and employers are recognized for doing so. OCLW’s model calculates an annual living wage for Orange County workers, and local employers qualify for certification based on this living wage. Employers remain in good standing for two years after which they are encouraged to recertify at the prevailing rate.

This very simple model raised awareness around a living wage while creating a more just and sustainable local economy for workers, employers, and the broader community alike.

In these ten years:

• the hourly living wage has increased from $12.75 in 2015 to $17.65 in 2024;
• 385 employers have been certified and 261 employers are on the living wage roster
  today;
• employers have reported raising wages by $3.5 million to qualify for certification;
• almost 80% of employers routinely recertify including 70% of the original 2015
  certifications;
• certified employers today employ an average of 33 workers, and women make up 54% of
  those workers and minorities make up 30%; and
• 33% of today’s certified businesses are owned by women, minorities, or workers.

“We are incredibly proud of the work we have done in partnership with key stakeholders in the community,” said OCLW’s Director, Debbie Everly. “The dedication of our certified living wage employers, donors, advocates, and volunteers has been inspiring, and it is their commitment that has made our mission a reality. While we are saddened by this closure, we are grateful for the lasting change we have created as a community.”

OCLW is now exploring ways to build on that lasting change by partnering in a broader coalition devoted to not just a minimum wage that is a living wage but other key state and county-wide initiatives benefiting workers such as access to affordable health care, day care, housing, and transit.