GWI CERTIFICATION RECOGNIZES AND PROMOTES EMPLOYERS THAT PAY $18/HR AND PROVIDE HEALTH INSURANCE BENEFITS

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind (April 25, 2022) – EmployIndy has publicly launched the Good Wages Initiative (GWI) in Marion County which certifies, celebrates, and showcases Marion County employers that have voluntarily committed to providing full-time employees both a wage of at least $18/hour and access to employer-sponsored health insurance benefits. 

In 2018, the Brookings Institution partnered with the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership to produce a report examining Central Indiana’s economic future. Advancing Opportunity in Central Indiana outlines numerous ways the area can develop strategies to increase the availability of more good and promising jobs that pay living wages. Their research determined that  $18/hour, paired with employer-sponsored health insurance, is the general living wage for the Indianapolis area (the number of working and non-working individuals in a household, along with other factors not considered, affect the standard of living for household members). 

“Paying good wages and providing employer-sponsored health insurance gives businesses critical advantages in today’s labor market, from reductions in turnover to increased productivity,” says Marie Mackintosh, EmployIndy’s chief strategy officer. “Employees experience reduced financial stress and improved health outcomes while the community benefits through increased buying power and overall job quality.”

Employers also benefit from increased attention and loyalty from consumers seeking to support businesses with employment practices that align with their personal values.

“Employers are looking for ways to keep the talent they have while also building a pipeline for roles today and the future,” said Kate Pangallo, director of talent partnerships, Indy Chamber. “The Good Wages Initiative supports businesses by showcasing their voluntary commitment to support their employees, their families, and their futures. That commitment can significantly differentiate an employer and lead to a more inclusive economy in Indianapolis.”

GWI is part of EmployIndy’s Choice Employer’s program, designed to help businesses become an employer of choice for job seekers and attract new consumers through job quality practices including good wages, culture and diversity, career pathways, and employee support. As Marion County’s workforce development board, EmployIndy oversees the Good Wages Initiative to further its commitment to Indianapolis’  employers and residents. EmployIndy utilizes a Lilly Endowment grant to support the launch of the Good Wages Initiative. 

“Paying good wages is foundational to ensuring Indianapolis has a competitive workforce ecosystem, one where employers have access to talented and engaged employees and where workers have access to quality jobs and economic mobility,” said Jamey Applegate, director of the Good Wages Initiative at EmployIndy. “The Good Wages Initiative helps advance this work by celebrating and showcasing employers who have determined that their future prospects are enhanced by being committed to paying wages that help sustain workers.”

GWI certification provides heightened opportunities to promote an employer’s commitment to paying sustainable wages—which can help those businesses attract the most qualified employees first. Certified GWI employers gain access to marketing resources to promote and acknowledge their commitment to paying good wages. Exclusive certified GWI employer networking and idea exchange opportunities are offered, as well.

Committed GWI status is available for employers who are not yet paying all full-time employees at least $18/hour and/or providing access to healthcare benefits but are committed to becoming a certified GWI employer within two years. Committed GWI employers receive the initial support necessary to develop a plan for raising wages and reaching certified status, including technical assistance and networking opportunities to connect and share ideas with peer employers who have also prioritized employer/employee relations.

“We applaud our partners at EmployIndy for launching the Good Wages Initiative.  Through expert and deeply data-driven research beginning in 2018, the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership has sought to inform the public square when it comes to better understanding what a ‘good job’ actually is in Central Indiana, and the pay and benefits it must provide for families to make ends meet, even in our relatively low-cost marketplace” says David L. Johnson, president and CEO, Central Indiana Corporate Partnership. “EmployIndy is now taking the critical next step, on both the data and the moral imperative to make this an even better, and far more inclusive place to live, work and raise a family.”

For more information on the Good Wages Initiative, visit: https://employindy.org/goodwages/ 

Participating Businesses 

Certified

• Apex Benefits
• Arlington/Roe
• B&W Plumbing, Heating, Cooling and Drains
• Caldwell VanRiper
• Central Christian Church
• DB Services
• The Deck Store
• EmployIndy
• Etica Group
• Hamilton Exhibits
• The Heritage Group
• Hydro-Gear
• Ice Miller LLP
• Indianapolis Airport Authority
• Indy Chamber
• Indy Hunger Network
• Katz, Sapper & Miller (KSM)
• LUNA Language Services
• Mays Chemical Co.
• The National Bank of Indianapolis
• Pack Away Hunger
• STS Aviation Services – Tank Tigers
• United Way of Central Indiana
• WFYI

Committed: 

• Newfields
• Second Helpings

About EmployIndy

EmployIndy guides the local workforce ecosystem and makes strategic investments to remove barriers to quality employment for underserved and underrepresented residents. Our vision is for all Marion County residents to have access to services and training necessary to secure a livable wage and grow in a career that meets employer demand for talent. As the workforce development board for Marion County, guided by 26 business, civic, education and nonprofit community leaders, EmployIndy invests over $20 million in public, private and philanthropic funds for both youth and adults annually. Learn more at employindy.org.

One persistent perception of apprenticeships is that they are confined to trade-specific careers. Apprenticeships do work well for current and future electricians, landscapers, plumbers, and carpenters, but the potential for this mode of building and training a company’s own employment talent can be applied much more broadly, particularly during this unique time where job postings seem to perpetually outnumber applicants.

Katz, Sapper & Miller (KSM) CPA & Advisors is one local company that is proving the potential for an apprenticeship with the help of Ben Davis High School student Daniel Camacho. Katz, Sapper & Miller (KSM) CPA & Advisors is “a leading advisory, tax, and audit firm providing visionary people with the inspiration, insight, and technical expertise they need to achieve great things.” Daniel has come alongside that work as a staff accountant in his first year in the Modern Apprenticeship (MAP) program. 

Of his experience thus far, Daniel says, “I am already starting to observe what an actual workday at a firm will look like and have a much better understanding of the CPA exam. MAP is also going to assist me with my college education.”

MAP is an innovative program designed in partnership with EmployIndy and Ascend Indiana. Katz, Sapper & Miller (KSM) CPA & Advisors is just one employer participant among a diverse group that also includes OneAmerica, AES Indiana, Techpoint, Roche, Ivy Tech Community College, and The Heritage Group, the majority of which host at least two apprentices. These and other companies offer a two to three-year apprenticeship experience that starts during a student’s junior year of high school. 

In looking towards the future, Daniel also added that “My goals are to go to college, graduate with at least a bachelor’s degree in accounting, pass the CPA exam, and to find a job I love. MAP has given me a head start with all of these.” 

Modern Apprenticeship combines on-the-job learning with paid employment, college credit, and the prospect of earning industry credentials. The apprentices themselves, who are recruited from more than seven local high schools, are heavily supported throughout the process by EmployIndy Youth Apprenticeship Managers (YAMs). 

“We are thrilled to work with the MAP program as they have identified unique opportunities to partner with companies to seek diverse talent for the future,” says Karen Hill, Director, Talent Acquisition & Staffing at Katz, Sapper & Miller (KSM) CPA & Advisors. “The program prepares employers by giving mentoring and tools to gather vital information to ensure the students are on track and being utilized.”

Daniel also has positive things to say about his colleagues at Katz, Sapper & Miller (KSM) CPA & Advisors: “I have been treated in such a welcoming manner that I identify the people as being my favorite part of the experience so far. They have given me opportunities and treated me with respect. I am inexperienced compared to them but they address me as if I am on their level.” 

If your organization missed out on the first MAP cohort but you think you might be interested in participating in a future cycle, be sure to get in touch with the Business Partnerships team by visiting employindy.org/business-partnerships.

EmployIndy Business Development Manager Tracy Hartman secured a booth for the EmployIndy Business Partnerships team at the recent Indiana Mineral Aggregate Association (IMAA) winter trade show at Indianapolis’s JW Marriott on January 31 and February 1 of 2022. 

In existence since 1934 and a supporter of Women Leaders in Mining & Aggregates (WLMA), “The purpose of the Indiana Mineral Aggregates Association,” according to its website, “is to solve common problems of the Indiana aggregate producing industry, principally in the areas of specifications for aggregates, mine safety, and reclamation, air and water pollution, legislation, research for improvements in aggregates used, increased public awareness of the importance of aggregate products in their daily lives, and broadening the use and application of aggregates in Indiana.” 

Aggregates are minerals, gravel, sand, slag, and broken or crushed stone, the likes of which “are essential construction materials for residential and commercial development, as well as for improvements to infrastructure projects such as roads, bridges, dams, hospitals, schools, and water/sewer systems.” For EmployIndy’s interests, these industries “employ approximately 2,300 workers” across the state, and—according to, again, the website, “pay almost $100 million in wages.” 

“We spoke to multiple organizations located in Indianapolis and surrounding counties and were also able to turn the event into a great team-building exercise,” Hartman said. 

Hartman in particular could be seen enticing attendees to the swag-filled EmployIndy booth and adding to the team’s fun with a trick of her own: brownie delivery, as cool and efficient as the best restaurant workers in Indianapolis. 

Other EmployIndy attendees included Business Development Managers Connie Harris and Wendy Parker,  as well as Account Managers Trish McDonald and Chris Schumerth.

The business partnerships team was able to connect with a number of organizations that included but were not limited to the following:

• Martin Marietta
• Irving Material
• General Drilling, Inc.
• MacAllister Machinery Co., Inc.
• Brandeis Machinery & Supply Company
• US Aggregates
• Xylem
• Rudd Equipment Company
• Civil & Environmental Consultants, Inc.

IMAA Executive Director Calvin Lee was one who wandered over to the EmployIndy table with some intentionality, wondering if and how EmployIndy may be able to help his organization identify worthy recipients for the IMAA scholarship program. 

A discussion also transpired around how EmployIndy might be able to occupy some space in the IMAA quarterly newspaper in the near future. The groundwork has been set for even for partnership across Marion County.

To request EmployIndy's participation in your next workforce development event or to learn more about how your organization can partner with EmployIndy, visit employindy.org/business-partnerships.