LED lighting equipment company LiteGear has decided to set its own standard for employment with a $20 living wage for all workers.
Burbank-based LiteGear was created to provide lighting solutions that founders Al DeMayo and Mike Bauman encountered during their jobs in the film industry. In one case, smaller, more flexible equipment was needed to establish quality light for the USS Enterprise in the J.J. Abrams-directed “Star Trek” in 2009.
“The company grew from selling component pieces, which we still do today, to more finished products, which are kind of a more recent development,” Mike Wagner, LiteGear’s chief executive, said. “So the company comes from the (film) industry. It’s still very involved with the industry (and) we’re very close to that community.”
Now in its 15th year of business, LiteGear is investing in its employees with a $20 living wage that was enacted this month after the company rolled out a long-term strategic plan. The company felt that given the high cost of living in California, the wage felt like the right thing to do, Kwame Dow, LiteGear’s vice president of people, said.
According to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the California living wage for one adult with no children is $18.66 an hour. The state minimum wage is currently $14.
“We talked about it as a minimum wage, but we settled on the language of a living wage given the conversation around what it really takes to make sure that somebody is able to eat, clothe properly and have a roof over their head,” Dow said.
The living wage, according to Wagner, is a factor that helps with employee productivity and happiness.
The concept of a living wage has current relevance in the film industry, as the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, the union that represents lighting technicians and stagehands, has authorized a strike during negotiations over higher wages and working conditions.
LiteGear’s living wage was announced at a company townhall meeting that left one employee in disbelief.
“I had a young lady who was sitting close to the front of the town hall, and she said, ‘Kwame, I just want to make sure I understand. So you’re telling me that if I make less than $20 an hour, as of today, I make $20 now?’ I said yes,” Dow explained. “She was like, ‘Oh my gosh, are you serious?’ I said absolutely.” The employee named Leslie, who preferred not to use her full name, said, “The change meant so much because I felt appreciated, it wasn’t just words of (approval), it was action. This made my job and myself feel valuable, seen and honestly is a confidence booster.”