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DocuSign Envelope ID: 890AB1BA- 173D- 46A1- B569- D7AE7E5CA4F3 <br />10/13/2017 www.orangecountylivingwage.org <br />Profiles: Weaver Street Market <br />Charles Traitor, a worker -owner and board member at Weaver Street Market, shares why paying a <br />living wage benefits the employees of the co -op as well as the bottom line of the business. Find <br />more videos of living wage - certified Orange County employers here. <br />LIVING WAGES BENEFIT WORKERS <br />A living wage pulls working families out of poverty. Nearly 40% of workers in Orange County earn <br />less than a living wage. As a result, a large portion of county residents are, in fact, working poor. <br />With salaries at or slightly above the minimum wage, each day the working poor in our county are <br />forced to make difficult choices such as buying food or paying rent, filling a prescription or the gas <br />tank. If these workers earned a living wage rather than the legal minimum of $7.25 /hour, many <br />would be lifted out of poverty. <br />LIVING WAGES BENEFIT EMPLOYERS <br />A living wage is good for the bottom line. Turnover falls when employers offer a living wage, and <br />workers who stay tend to be more educated and skilled, says Dr. William Lester, a UNC- Chapel Hill <br />professor who specializes in minimum and living wage research. Since first paying a living wage, <br />CEOs of Costco, QuikTrip and other employers report a drop in payroll costs due to lower <br />absenteeism and turnover. Many living wage employers also note better morale, attendance, <br />customer relations, and productivity. Moreover, Dr. Zeynep Ton of MIT's Sloan School of <br />Management reports that research in the retail sector shows that for every $1 increase in payroll, a <br />store can achieve a $4 or more increase in monthly sales. <br />LIVING WAGES COME BACK TO THE LOCAL <br />COMMUNITY <br />http: // www.orangecountylivingwage.org / 3/5 <br />