Members of the Canton Township Board of Trustees approved a wage increase for part-time seasonal employees during their regular meeting last week.
The new wage scale for all current and newly hired part-time positions will become effective April 1 and will increase the minimum wage from $10 to $13 per hour and puts each township employee on a path to $15 per hour, according to a statement from township officials.
“We're proud to increase our minimum wage to $13 an hour and be putting every employee in Canton Township on a path to $15 an hour,” said Township Supervisor Anne Marie Graham-Hudak. “This wage increase is necessary to not only remain competitive in employee attraction, but also to retain our current part-time staff.
Our part-time employees are an integral part of our operations, and we value their contributions immensely. Around 100 part-time positions were left unfilled last summer, which reduced the number of programs and services that could have been offered to the community.”Part-time employees making $13 per hour would be eligible for $1 per hour increases in years one and two of working for the township to reach $15 per hour.
Canton Township part-time employees make up a dedicated workforce who contribute significantly to the overall operations and are essential for the facilitation of programs and services as well as the care and maintenance of township facilities, parks, and open spaces, officials said. The township part-time wage scale was last updated in 2016. Full-time employees in the township are all paid at $15 or more per hour.
As part of the new compensation package, part-time employees will also be offered a complimentary membership to the Summit on the Park and discounts to events at Leisure Services facilities like the Village Theatre.
The Canton Leisure Services Department typically employs as many as 350 part-time and seasonal employees during the summer, making up 85 percent of the department staffing, as well as contributing an average of 200,000 hours of labor annually, officials said.
