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Justice Sunday - Service led by Diane
Robertson
In this service we discussed the UU's role in the living wage movement and how our principles guide us towards social action, calling upon us to rectify social and economical inequalities both within our communities and around the world. The Living Wage Movement - A sermon by Diane Robertson “An ancient Jewish folktale depicts a man visiting hell, and being amazed to find its inhabitants all seated at long tables, with fancy tablecloths, beautiful silverware and bountiful food in front of them. Yet no one was eating. And all of them were wailing. When he looked closely, he saw that none of them could bend their elbows; thus, although they could touch the food, no one could bring it to his mouth. “The visitor then went to heaven, where the scene was [almost] identical: long tables, fancy tablecloths, beautiful silverware, and bountiful food. And here as well, people could not bend their elbows, yet no one was wailing- because each person was serving his neighbor.” (From Jewish Wisdom by Rabbi Joseph Telushkin) It’s simple really. We are interdependent. Not only do we rely on others, but they rely on us. Last year, the world saw a record breaking 27 hurricanes to which people gave generously. Other types of charities suffered last year due to the number of natural disasters and the incredible costs involved. It’s hard to plan for a year so riddled with emergencies. For those of us who don’t have much expendable income, there is a breaking point on how much you can donate. Unfortunately you have to make choices. Today after the service, we are having a social action fair. The purpose of this fair is not only to inform people about current issues, but to make it as simple as possible for everyone to make a difference with little inconvenience to them. There are petitions that you simply need to sign. There are organizations you can offer your financial support to. Sign ups are ready to go so that you can pick a day and commit yourself to putting your faith into action. We are a small church with few people, but it does not follow that we cannot make a difference. Every spring, Unitarian Universalists across the country celebrate Justice Sunday. This year, the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee selected workers rights and the living wage movement as their focus. In the 1870’s, the living wage movement began. By 1938, a law passed federally mandating a minimum wage of $.25/hour. Today the minimum wage is $5.15/hr, which translates into approximately $10,700, and it has remained that since 1997. The real value since the New Deal is now actually lower than what $.25 could get you then. The official poverty line for a family of four is at or below $18,244/yr. So in essence, we live in a country that says it is ok to pay someone who works full time a salary that keeps them in poverty. This is something we are very critical of in other nations. While the minimum wage has remained the same over the past eight years, Congress has raised their own salaries seven times. Meanwhile…
In 1980, the average CEO made as much as 97 minimum wage workers. In 2004, the average CEO made as much as 952 minimum wage workers. And the gap get wider and wider. So why don’t we just raise the minimum wage? Clearly nobody wants people to live in poverty. The worse the situation, the more tax payers pay for food stamps, medical assistance, housing and other social service programs. Who wouldn’t support a living wage? Some politicians feel it does not promote a free market. Some economists argue that it will create higher inflation, increase job losses for unskilled workers, force businesses to close, make it difficult to compete, raise taxes and cut services. While critics make a compelling argument against implementing a living wage, 122 successful campaigns have passed in cities across the country with extremely promising results. We have three living wage campaigns that are currently going on that could affect us here in Allegheny County. The first is a grassroots effort of religious leaders, community organizers, unions, community groups trying to raise wages in our own county. Originally passed in Sep. 2001, it was repealed shortly afterwards. Honestly, there were a lot of problems with that particular ordinance that create a whole new set of problems- but the intent was in the right place. So now they are attempting a new campaign and trying to tweak it. The second is a movement in the state of Pennsylvania. Mark Cohen proposed a new minimum wage that would be $7.15 by Jan. 1,2007. 423,000 Pennsylvanians earn between $5.15 and $7.14/hr. House Bill 257 was then modified to read that this year, the minimum wage for adults would go up to $5.70 and go up again to $6.25 for Jan. 2007. People under 18 would remain at $5.15/hr. A lot of people assume that most minimum wage workers are teenagers. In Pennsylvania, seven out of ten minimum wage workers are 20 years or older. House Bill 257 is expected to be voted on in early April. Cohen has stated already that he and other democrats will move to amend the bill to raise the minimum wage to at least 7.15/hr. I urge you to support this effort. Currently 19 states have raised their minimum wage to meet the needs that the federal government has not met. This has led to the third movement: a federal minimum wage bill. House Resolution 614 was introduced where the minimum wage would increase in a three step plan over approximately two years to $7.25/hr. This exceeds Pennsylvania’s current plan by $1.00/hr. While this is better than Pennsylvania’s option, I hope everyone in this room understands that it still places people within the poverty level. Raising the minimum wage is necessary, but it is not a living wage until it pulls you out of poverty. Please support peoples efforts towards this cause, but edge them to push forward towards real living wages. |