TC Workers’ Center Encourages Shoppers to “Shop Their Values” During Holiday Season; Adds Five New Employers to List of Living Wage Certified

The Tompkins County Workers’ Center (TCWC) takes pride in announcing the addition today of five new businesses to our Living Wage Employer Certification program, bringing the total to thirty-two Living Wage Employers in the County (a complete list can be found below). The newly-certified employers include:

· Shade Tree Auto
· Singlebrook Technology, Inc.
· St. Luke Lutheran Church
· Sunny Brook Builders
· Tompkins Community Action

The Workers’ Center believes that jobs that pay a living wage with access to health care are a win-win-win situation for workers, the community and employers. We seek to work with all segments of the community to make this a reality.

“We believe that a living wage is a moral value”, said Carl Feuer of the Workers’ Center Living Wage Employer Task Force. “We encourage shoppers in this holiday season to shop their values and to support employers that support their workers.”

The Workers’ Center seeks to publicly recognize and reward employers in the private, public and non-profit sectors that pay a living wage (defined as $9.18 an hour; or $10.36 an hour for full time employees without health insurance), and to provide market-based rewards and incentives for them and others that would like to do so.

The Workers’ Center believes that employers benefit in other ways when they provide livable jobs, including generating higher productivity and stronger employee retention. Our community will prosper, benefiting everyone. Criteria for becoming a Living Wage Employer, as well as an application, can be found at www.TCWorkersCenter.org

List of Living Wage Employers:

Advocacy Center
P.O. Box 164, Ithaca

Alternatives Federal Credit Union
125 N. Fulton Street, Ithaca

Ancient Wisdom Productions
202 E. State Street, Ithaca

Autumn Leaves Used Books
115 E. State Street, Ithaca

Blue Spruce Painting and Decorating
598 Hayts Road, Ithaca

Boyce Thompson Institute
Tower Road, Ithaca

Catholic Charities of Tompkins/Tioga
324 W. Buffalo Street, Ithaca

Community Foundation of Tompkins County
309 N. Aurora St., Ithaca

Contemporary Trends, Inc.
121 N. Aurora Street, Ithaca

Custum Construction
123 Sears Street, Ithaca

Day Care & Child Development Council of Tompkins County
609 W. Clinton St., Ithaca

GreenStar Cooperative Market
701 W. Buffalo Street, Ithaca

Hospicare and Palliative Care
172 E. King Road, Ithaca

Ithaca Downtown Partnership
171 E. State Street, Center Ithaca, Ithaca

Jewel Box
301 Taughannock Blvd., Ithaca

Money with a Mission
490 Lower Creek Road, Ithaca

Morris’ Men’s Wear & Morris Too
134-136 E. State Street, Ithaca

Renovus Energy, Inc.
102 Cherry Street, Ithaca

Shade Tree Auto, Inc.
1047 Teeter Road, Ithaca

Significant Elements, A Program of Historic Ithaca, Inc.
212 Center Street, Ithaca

Singlebrook Technology, Inc.
433 W. Buffalo Street, Ithaca

Sparks Electric
208 N. Titus Avenue, Ithaca

St. John’s Church
210 N. Cayuga Street, Ithaca

St. Luke Lutheran Church
109 Oak Avenue, Ithaca

Sunny Brook Builders
2147 Slaterville Road, Ithaca

Taitem Engineering
109 S. Albany Street, Ithaca

The Frame Shop
414 W. Buffalo Street, Ithaca

Tompkins Community Action
701 Spencer Road, Ithaca

Tompkins County
320 N. Tioga Street, Ithaca

Town of Ithaca
215 N. Tioga Street, Ithaca

Upscale Remodeling Corporation
176 Hurd Road, Freeville

William Henry Miller Inn
303 N. Aurora Street, Ithaca