The Lexington Cooperative Market has announced that effective Sunday November 15, it will be raising its entry-level base pay to $11.24 per hour. 

Motivated by the struggle for a living wage being mounted by activists nationwide and embodied by the “Fight for 15” taking place with fast-food restaurants, the Co-op saw this move as in keeping with their model of “fair prices for customers, fair wages for staff and fair prices to farmers.”

In a press release issue Thursday, general manager Tim Barlett stated that, “We’ve been inspired by the work of the Coalition for Economic Justice with the Livable Wage certification and the Fight for $15.”  

The Coalition of Economic Justice (CEJ) has been at the local forefront of a national campaign to raise pay for workers being left behind in a growing economy. Just this week, the group and its supporters demonstrated outside the McDonald’s at the intersection of William and Jefferson streets. 

CEJ’s executive director Rev. Kirk Laubenstein applauded the Co-op, saying that the store “reaffirms its mission to be a business with a purpose, and more importantly, its commitment to a more fair and equitable economy, where people are prioritized over profit.”

With over 12,000 member owners, the Co-op has continued to grow since it moved out its longtime storefront on Lexington Avenue in 2005. At that time, the Co-op raised around $560,000 to build its current location on Elmwood Avenue. The store averages $12 million in annual sales.  

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