Last week on Wednesday, delegates at the BC Fed convention spent their lunch hour distributing information about the campaign to raise the minimum wage to $10 in BC.
2008_Nov25 008 by you.
Jim Sinclair, president of the BC Federation of Labour, is interviewed while a BC Fed convention delegate holds up the $10 Now information card. - photo Todd Wong.

Convention delegates took time out from their lunch time and went to different nearby Vancouver Trade and Convention Centre in the Vancouver downtown area.  BC Fed president Jim Sinclair went to the Seabus terminal and handed out pamphlets to Seabus, Skytrain and Westcoast Express goers.

Transit users were generally positive and supportive of the $10 Now campaign.  I opened doors for people entering the Seabus causeway and gave out the information pamphlets.

The minimum wage in BC was last increased to $8 in November, 2001. In 2002, the provincial government rolled back the minimum for new workers through the $6 training wage.

2008_Nov25 003 Bill Sinclair talks to reporters at the Seabus terminal - photo Todd Wong

At the BC Fed convention, delegates voted unaminously to support the $10 Now Minium Wage campaign.

In August 2007 MLA's voted in Bill 37 a 29% pay raise boosting salaries from $76,100 to $98,000.  The premier would see his salary increase by 54 per cent to more than $186,000.  NDP MLA's voted against the pay raise and would donate their portion to charities.
see: NDP to give pay raise to charity
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/archive/index.php/t-477061.html

And in August 2008, "100 of BC's top bureaucrats in the provincial government will receive salary increases as large as 43 per cent, all in a bid to attract and keep top executives, B.C.'s minister responsible for labour market development said Friday." http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2008/08/08/bc-salry-hike.html

“Gordon Campbell boosted his own salary by 54% and now he’s doling out taxpayers’ money to the highest paid people in government,” says Jim Sinclair, President of the B.C. Federation of Labour.  

The Deputy Minister to the Premier has been given a 43% salary increase and will be paid $348,600 a year.  Other Deputy Ministers will be paid $299,215 per year, a 35% increase.  Assistant Deputy Ministers will see their salaries increase 22% to $195,000 a year.

http://www.bcfed.com/node/1298