OTTAWA/IROQUOIS – Ross Video announced today (July 16th) that as of July 19th, the company is increasing its minimum wage to $20 per hour.
Currently, Ontario’s minimum wage is $14 per hour.
“Ross has consistently paid more than the Ontario minimum wage, and we take great pride in that fact,” said company CEO David Ross. “I was recently working on a large planning spreadsheet for a proposed new product, and I was struck by the modest effect an increase in labor cost had on the overall price of a product – it really was negligible.”
Ross said that that realization got him thinking about what the company paid its staff and the state of the economy during the pandemic, and beyond.
“Frontline care workers are often the lowest paid members of our health service and yet we have relied on them so heavily during this challenging time. They have kept us going. Our manufacturing staff have kept our company going, and so I feel the time is right to say thank you with this increase.”
The company said that many commentators have suggested that the living wage in Ontario is approximately $18 per hour.
Ross said that the move will directly benefit approximately 100 permanent employees and their families, many of whom are located in the village of Iroquois at its manufacturing facility.
“Iroquois isn’t a big place,” added Ross. “Our company is the largest employer in the area and every extra dollar in people’s pockets will help the local economy and support the businesses that have been hardest hit by our period of lockdown.”
Ross said the company enjoyed a highly successful 2019 and has managed to “weather the storm of 2020 without any casualties.”
“Now is the time to invest in our people and to show them that we care about them and the communities we all belong to,” Ross said. “I’ve noticed that most companies spent far more time thinking about how to further incentivize and reward their highest paid employees and don’t spend nearly enough time looking at what they can do for their lowest paid and how much of a positive impact that can make on their lives.”
Ross Video was founded in 1974 and relocated to Iroquois shortly after it was founded.
