Front-end Clerk Cody Ulibarri serves a customer at the Co+op Market. Courtesy/LACMWhen employees of the Los Alamos Cooperative Market opened their paystubs Thursday, they found, on average, a $0.54 wage increase in their hourly rates. For a clerk who works 35 hours per week, that ads up to an extra $75 per month, or about $900 per year.
“It’s incredibly important because it keeps moral up and it gives us peace of mind,” Front-end Clerk Cody Ulibarri said. “We need to be able to make a wage that we can sustain ourselves on—to be able to afford rent and food and also have money to save as well as money to have fun with. If we have those bases covered, our stress level goes down, and if we’re less stressed, we can better take care of our customers.”
The increase—which was given in various increments to all Co+op employees—is an effort by the store to keep current with the living wage in Los Alamos County.
“It is part of our values and one of our end statements to provide the best work environment,” Co+op General Manager Steve Watts said. “This is not the end all, but it is a huge step.”
Since the Co+op opened in March 2011, employees have always made at least $10 per hour. Thanks to the recent pay raise, that number has increased to $10.66 an hour—substantially more than the minimum age of $7.50 per hour mandated by the state and county and equal to Santa Fe County’s minimum wage of $10.66 per hour.
The latter is important to Assistant Deli Manager Victoria Cass, who lives in Nambe and now feels like the drive to Los Alamos is worth the gas money.
“The new raise will bring new employees from not just Los Alamos, but from all around who are now willing—and even more excited—to work for the Co+op and be part of the family here,” she said.
Cass notes that in addition to her wages being on par with what she might make in Santa Fe, the raise expands her budget, thus allowing her more options when making a purchase.
Ulibarri agreed. “It helps stimulate the economy,” he he “If we are able to make more money, we are able to spend more money.”
“From the beginning, our vision was one that included employees being paid fairly and having benefits provided,” said original board member Nancy Sevoia, who began advocating for a local co-op in 2006. “The employees make LACM a comfortable and inviting place to shop. A living wage will enable those on the staff to stay and grow with the Co+op.”
LACM offers its staff plenty of other benefits—and not just a pleasant work environment with a lot of lunch options. From their first day of employment, staff receive 14 days of paid time off per year and an 18 percent discount off groceries. Employees who regularly work 35 hours or more per week receive 80 percent employer-paid health insurance.
For more information, contact Steve Watts at 505.695.1579 or info@losalamos.coop.
