Let Justice Roll

Letters to the Editor Sampler

Time to celebrate minimum wage
Journal and Courier (IN), 7/24/07

Many of the clients we see at Lafayette Urban Ministry are working, but just don't earn enough to make ends meet.

However, today we can celebrate that the federal minimum wage increases to $5.85 an hour, and, thanks to legislation co-authored by State Rep. Joe Micon and supported by nearly all of our local legislative contingent, so will Indiana's minimum wage.

In 2008, the minimum wage will increase again to $6.55; in 2009 it will increase to $7.25.

Many people in Indiana and around the country worked hard on this legislation, and many hardworking people will benefit.

Fewer than 37,000 Hoosiers earn the minimum wage right now, but this increase will help many thousands who earn just above the minimum $5.15 an hour.

The raise to $7.25 will directly impact 143,000 Hoosiers, according to the Economic Policy Institute.

The Indiana legislation was important because not all Hoosiers are covered by the federal minimum wage.

The federal wage applies to employees of companies with revenues of at least $500,000 a year and smaller firms engaged in interstate commerce.

The Indiana law will cover virtually all employers with at least two workers.

Increasing the minimum wage is a matter of fairness.

It also makes economic sense. After the last federal minimum wage increases in 1996 and 1997, the nation experienced lower unemployment, low inflation, robust growth and declining poverty rates.

With this step, we have no reason to expect otherwise.

Patti O'Callaghan
Lafayette Urban Ministry

To view article online, please click here.

Higher wage works
Boston Herald, 6/4/07

In criticizing the idea of government financing summer jobs for young people who want to work, Cornelius Chapman contends that such efforts might be unnecessary if the state had a lower minimum wage (“State’s wage law working against teens,” May 29).

The column cites only one piece of evidence: According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, youth unemployment during the summer has increased sharply since 1989, when more than three out of four teens found a job. Since then, the rate has dropped to 66 percent.

While Chapman appears to suggest that this increase was the result of a higher minimum wage, one fact undermines this claim: The real value of the federal minimum wage is lower today than it was in 1989.

Further, the BLS data relates to labor force participation, a different measure than unemployment rate. When labor force participation declined, youth unemployment rose only slightly from 10.7 percent in 1989 to 11.2 percent in 2006.

Helping people who work full time to earn wages that allow them to escape poverty sends the right message to young people: We value hard work and reward it.

Noah Berger, Executive Director
Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center
http://news.bostonherald.com/letters/view.bg?articleid=1004666

Sun Chronicle (MA)
6/2/07

Show me who's getting rich on food donations

In reference to a letter from Fred Glover ("Show me where US citizens are starving," May 29) about U.S. Rep. James McGovern's 'political spin' of eating on food stamps of $3 a day. I am the director of food pantries at Hebron Village Outreach Center here in Attleboro. While you are correct that the food stamp allowance is meant to supplement, I invite you to visit us here at the food pantry on a Thursday night and see all the people not able to make ends meet with that supplement, and still need to get extra help from food pantries. We may not have people that die of starvation, but I can tell you a good number of people, working and seniors, are having a tough time making ends meet.

Let me ask you a few questions. Have you tried to rent an apartment recently working on minimum wage? Have you had to pay your utilities, and gas for the car to get to your job, while only making a few hundred dollars a week or on a fixed income that doesn't go up when everything else does? We have seen an increase in clients every month and it doesn't seem to be getting any better for a lot of people.

Congressman McGovern is very concerned with hunger in the state of Massachusetts and I applaud his efforts to get the food stamp allowance raised. We help many people, but in this time of escalating living costs, increasing numbers of people are coming forward asking for assistance.

Michelle Burch
Attleboro

THIS WRITER is director of food pantries for the Hebron Outreach Center.

USA Today
2/9/07

Wage hike's benefits

Todd Stottlemyer, president and CEO of the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), reveals total ignorance of business when he claims raising the minimum wage to $7.25 by 2009 would force business owners to jack up prices by 40% ("Don't kill the golden goose," Opposing view, Thursday).

In my small business, costs include insurance, utilities, taxes, rent, equipment, inventory, maintenance, advertising and outside accounting, banking, legal services and more. Labor is only one part of a complicated cost picture.

Very few small businesses pay every employee minimum wage, so the hike affects only a small percentage of employees for the vast majority of businesses. Even if a business paid every employee the legal minimum, this raise would increase overall costs by a small fraction of what Stottlemyer claims.

And he ignores the benefits of paying decent wages, such as reduced costs and higher revenues produced by lower turnover, higher productivity and increased consumer buying power. Such ignorance is not surprising to those who follow NFIB policy positions.

Business owners should look at the agendas of organizations such as the American Independent Business Alliance, which actually serves independent business people, not wealthy investors and corporate elites.

Lew Prince
Co-Owner and CEO, Vintage Vinyl, St. Louis
Signatory, Business Owners and Executives for a Higher Minimum Wage

Raleigh News & Observer
11/11/06

A rising wage floor

In all six states with minimum wage hikes on the ballot Tuesday, these initiatives passed overwhelmingly. Not only that, each one included a cost-of-living-adjustment (COLA) provision.

The national campaign of Let Justice Roll: Faith and Community Voices Against Poverty, was active in the six ballot efforts: Arizona, Colorado, Missouri, Montana, Ohio and Nevada. The N.C. Council of Churches is our state's link to Let Justice Roll, which assisted the N.C. Fair Wages coalition that pushed for our state minimum of $6.15/hour.

The voice of faith for economic fairness is now clear. And there's a wake-up call here for our next General Assembly session. With all the states now passing minimum wage hikes adding COLA provisions, we need to catch up. Our workers deserve the same kind of raises as do workers in other states. People of faith across America see fair pay as a key biblical mandate.

Barbara Zelter
Program Associate
N.C. Council of Churches
Raleigh
http://www.newsobserver.com/580/story/508948.html

Akron Beacon Journal
10/16/06

Justice for working poor

In the early 1970s, I worked the night shift boxing creamers at a Sealtest plant in Atlanta. It wasn't a difficult job, but I quickly realized that the wages I earned (the minimum at the time) weren't enough for me to afford both housing and food. Not much has changed since then. If a person is working 40 hours a week at a minimum-wage job, he or she can't afford decent housing, sustainable food and health care. The minimum wage has been static for the past 10 years at $5.15 an hour -- not enough to support one person, much less someone with a child. A full-time minimum-wage earner in Ohio makes $10,712 a year, nearly $3,000 below the federal poverty standards for a family of two.

This is unconscionable. No person should have to live on so little when he or she is working hard, making his or her contribution to the community.

I am not the only one who thinks it is wrong to allow this state of affairs to continue: 765,000 people have signed a petition that will place on the November ballot an amendment to the Ohio Constitution raising the minimum wage to $6.85 an hour. That's still not enough, but at least it's a start.

I hope you will join me and other people of faith in taking a stand for justice for the working poor. Vote in November, and vote in favor of raising the minimum wage. Vote in favor of giving your neighbors a leg up into a better life for themselves and their children.

Anne R. Hagler
Akron
http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/news/editorial/15758737.htm

Arizona Republic
10/15/06

Minimum wage not enough

Imagine working 40 hours a week, 52 weeks a year and not having enough to pay the rent, put gas in the car or eat.

Thousands of minimum-wage workers in Arizona live in poverty.

The current minimum wage is a disgrace. Congress has not increased it in 10 years, but on Nov. 7 the people of Arizona have the chance to do what Congress has not - raise the minimum wage by voting "yes" on Proposition 202.

About 145,000 workers in Arizona will directly benefit from an increase in the minimum wage to $6.75. State statistics show that nearly 75 percent of minimum-wage workers are adults, 20 and older. Some are senior citizens who must work to pay for their skyrocketing medications. More than 58 percent of minimum-wage workers in Arizona are women and more than one-third are the primary wage earners for their families, according to a recent study by the Economic Policy Institute.

Minimum-wage workers do some of the most important work in our communities, like caring for the elderly and teaching our children. At $5.15 an hour, minimum-wage workers earn less than they would on welfare.

It's time to make work pay off for the people of Arizona again.

On Nov. 7, vote "yes" on Proposition 202 to raise the minimum wage.

Rebekah Friend,
Phoenix

The writer is president of the Arizona AFL-CIO and honorary co-chair of the Arizona Minimum-Wage Coalition.
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/opinions/articles/1015sunlets153.html

Arizona Republic
10/14/06

Minimum-wage editorial a loser

Regarding "$6.75 per hour is a bad bet" (Editorial, Friday):

Using your ink to disparage help for those at the low end of the totem pole is not very nice!

Leaving it to employers to do what is right just doesn't work, does it? Why do you think employers contribute to lawmakers to pass so-called "right to work" laws, not to mention "at will" legislation?

So Proposition 202 is placed on the ballot to counter those that make a living off the super underclass. Give them a break, will you?

Richard Conger,
Scottsdale
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/opinions/articles/1014satlets143.html

The Columbus Dispatch (OH)
9/9/06

Minimum-wage increase will help some escape poverty

The Aug. 30 Dispatch article "Poverty figures grimmer for Ohio," stated that Cleveland had the highest percentage of residents living in poverty last year among major U.S. cities. Cincinnati was in the top 10. Ohio ranks at 12.3 percent compared with the national rate of 12.6 percent. Something is wrong with this picture. On behalf of the Ohio Council of Churches, we strongly support an increase in the minimum wage. It is morally right to increase the minimum wage. No one should work for below-poverty-level wages. Full-time work should lift a family or anyone out of poverty.

Ohio has a minimum wage of $5.15 an hour. This amounts to $876 a month for full-time work, which is disgracefully below the poverty line for any Ohio family. People of faith are uniting across denominational lines with the Let Justice Roll campaign and Ohioans for a Fair Minimum Wage to move the wage up to $6.85 an hour in 2007, with an automatic increase each year in proportion to the rise in prices. More than 500,000 Ohio workers would benefit directly through this wage increase. A worker who has been receiving $5.15 an hour would see an increase of more than $3,500 a year.

Raising the floor for the least-compensated workers will not harm those who are fortunate enough to have more. Despite the dire warnings of employer groups, in other states where the minimum wage has been increased, businesses have not failed nor unemployment risen as a result. Nationally, we saw the greatest economic growth and strength in years after the minimum wage was at its relative highest. In Ohio, jobs affected by a minimum-wage increase are in sectors that are not vulnerable to overseas outsourcing.

Minimum-wage workers are predominantly adults, mostly women and members of low-income families. They are working and playing by the rules. But low wages block them from living the full and decent life that God intends for all humanity. These workers need a raise. Inflation has eroded the minimum-wage value by nearly 20 percent. Today it is lower than it has been in 44 of the last 45 years. To have the purchasing power it had in 1968, for example, the minimum wage would need to be more than $9 an hour.

The Let Justice Roll campaign, along with Ohioans for a Fair Minimum Wage, has put the minimum wage on the ballot for Ohio citizens to decide this November. This is not the final step toward a just society, but it is an essential and achievable first step.

As the Rev. Paul Sherry, national coordinator for the Living Wage Campaign, says, "A job should keep you out of poverty, not keep you in it."

Rev. Rebecca J. Tollefson
Executive director, Ohio Council of Churches
Columbus

Copyright (c) Rebecca Tollefson 2006

Metro (MA)
7/5/06

Higher wages an effective strategy

As a small business owner in western Massachusetts, I applaud the House for following the Senate's leadership by raising the minimum wage to $8 and indexing it to the cost of living.

Employees are not simply wage earners: by spending their income in the community, they are stakeholders in the sustainability of all local businesses. Ensuring that businesses pay decent wages is good for our economy.

As the CEO of Relief Resources, I know that paying our employees decent wages has proven to be one of our most effective and strategic business decisions. The results go far beyond the goodwill generated by the act, although that is extremely valuable. It has improved retention, strengthened recruitment (in a very competitive employment climate) and elevated the quality of services we can deliver. We are confident that the return on our investment will multiply each year and be the lead agent in our long-term business success.

Doug Hammond
Hatfield

Copyright (c) Doug Hammond 2006

Somerville Journal
7/20/06

Proud of wage hike

I am proud to say that the Legislature has approved an increase in the minimum wage to $8 per hour, which will provide approximately $2,600 of additional annual income for minimum wage employees by January 2008.

In modern society, it is supposed to be true that workers get a fair day's pay for a fair day's work. If you work hard, you are supposed to be able to provide for yourself and your family. Unfortunately, too many workers must work multiple jobs, often at a minimum wage, just to survive. It is appalling to see hard workers perpetually struggle, unable to support their families, because the minimum wage is too low. This is about economic justice.

Not only is this an issue of economic justice, but I believe it is our moral obligation as a society to support the most needy among us. In many faith communities, children and adults alike are taught about the importance of helping our fellow man and woman, especially those who are less fortunate. We often learn of the importance of charity and helping the poor.

According to Rev. Paul Sherry, coordinator of the national interfaith organization, "Let Justice Roll," who spoke at a conference I recently attended, "A job should keep you out of poverty, not keep you in it." Unfortunately, making minimum wage today keeps people in poverty because it simply isn't enough.

When the minimum wage issue came up in the Legislature, it was obvious we had the opportunity to make positive change. Unsatisfied with a smaller increase proposed by committee to $7.75, I filed amendments and helped negotiate a better increase with House leadership. In the end, we reached a compromise to raise the minimum wage to $8 per hour, and were able to push up the start date from 2007 to the fall of 2006.

While I am proud of this accomplishment, I know we can and should continue to strive to do better. The question remains: how far are we willing to go to meet our moral obligation to the poor among us?

Inflation is constantly eroding the purchasing power of those workers earning minimum wage. Due to rising price levels and stagnant pay, a worker at minimum wage has essentially received a pay cut of 12 percent since 2001. I think about single parents, working two jobs, unable to pay the bills, unable to spend time helping their children with schoolwork. I think about how every year they make minimum wage, it becomes increasingly difficult to make ends meet. While falling behind with the bills, parents continue to struggle and their children suffer as a result.

By increasing the minimum wage to $8 over the next two years, the real income of workers will roughly restore workers' real income to 2001 levels. However, after October 2007, prices will continue to rise while the new legislation does not provide for any further increases in pay.

The constant decline in the value of one's income has two possible solutions. Under the compromise reached in the Legislature, we will be forced to revisit this issue every few years and subject the public to this constant struggle. I supported, and will continue to support, that future increases in the minimum wage be automatic, and should match the increase in cost of living without any new legislation.

While I will continue to push the Legislature to support indexing the minimum wage according to cost of living increases, I am proud that the minimum wage has been increased, and for the first time since 2001, minimum wage workers will receive a pay raise.

Rep. Carl Sciortino
D-Medford

Copyright (c) 2006 Somerville Journal
http://www2.townonline.com/somerville/opinion/view.bg?articleid=539560

Arizona Republic
7/8/06

Earn more, spend more

Teenagers haven't been the main recipients of the minimum wage for 30 years. Adults are.

The minimum wage is $5.15 per hour. That's $206 a week, meaning hard choices between essentials like food and rent. That doesn't drive anybody's economy.

Studies of 10 states and the District of Columbia support common sense: Workers who earn more spend more on all the goods and services that grow the economy and make the community prosper. All businesses benefit. Retail, service, and small businesses see faster job growth and higher profits. Why? Lower absenteeism, better health care, higher productivity, higher morale. All these things more than offset a higher minimum wage.

Bottom line: If you want more customers, support a higher minimum wage. It's just common sense. More people who earn more, spend more. A better economy means more schools in better districts, better-educated workers, healthier families, and a more competitive USA in the 21st century.

What's good for lower-wage earners is good for all of us. Invest in your community and in Arizona's future: Support a raise in the minimum wage.

JS Oliver
Phoenix

Copyright (c) 2006 Arizona Republic
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/opinions/articles/0708satlets086.html

Raleigh News & Observer
5/28/06

Uplifting pay

Wages are a bedrock moral issue. Do we view workers as just another cost of business, or as human beings with dignity?

The May 15 rally in front of the Legislative Building featured Treasurer Richard Moore, former Sen. John Edwards and Rev. Dr. William Barber of the NAACP (among others), all insisting that raising the minimum wage is fundamentally a moral concern. While we appreciate the media coverage of this event, we want to reinforce the important moral component of the push for fair wages.

The religious voice is strong in each of the states considering raising their minimum wage. In Arkansas, Rev. Steve Copley, a United Methodist minister, chair of the coalition Give Arkansas a Raise Now and organizer for the Let Justice Roll Living Wage Campaign, was the key leader in convincing the legislature to raise Arkansas' minimum wage by $1.

Let Justice Roll, the North Carolinians for Fair Wages Coalition and the N.C. Council of Churches all agree on this basic moral statement: A job should lift you out of poverty, not keep you in it.

Jason R. Jenkins
Raleigh

The writer is a program associate with the N.C. Council of Churches and North Carolina organizer of the Let Justice Roll Living Wage Campaign.
http://www.newsobserver.com/580/story/444269.html

Fayetteville Observer
5/28/06

Our state should raise the minimum wage

Your May 19 editorial on the minimum wage debate falls prey to several myths about the minimum wage (“Moral Issues”).

First, it’s a myth that wage increases hurt business. Study after study shows that small business employment growth is actually better in states with higher minimum wages.

Second, the research you cite indicating 75 percent of minimum-wage earners work less than full-time is widely denounced. Most respectable studies, such as ones done by the Economic Policy Institute, indicate that 35 percent to 45 percent of those who work for the minimum are full-time employees.

Finally, the minimum wage has never been a “competitive” issue between states. The vast majority of minimum-wage jobs are in the service industry and are not anywhere near as portable as white-collar or manufacturing jobs, which pay more and which are subject to global and local competitive pressures.

You do not address the relative poverty of families with minimum-wage workers. If North Carolina set a state minimum wage of just $6, more than 60 percent of the benefits of that increase would go to the bottom 40 percent of households on the economic scale.

Florida and Arkansas have raised their minimum wages. It’s time for North Carolina to follow suit. The federal minimum wage has not increased in nine years and is currently at its lowest value in inflation-adjusted dollars since 1955.

David Mills
Executive director,
Common Sense Foundation
Member, North Carolinians for Fair Wages
Durham
http://www.fayettevillenc.com/article?id=233982#1

Daily Democrat (CA)
5/3/06

Doubtful Reasoning By Columnist

While presented as "A Minority View" the prominence of the commentary by Walter Williams recently demands a reply. While I won't dispute the citations he has quoted I do intend to cast doubt on his reasoning.

If productivity were the measure of economic benefit you would not see "golden parachutes" (high severance pay for failed chief executive officers). Were the world's economies a level playing field it might be possible to use a one method approach.

As it is many people are saddled with IMF/World Bank loan interest for loans made to despots/dictators who squandered the money on themselves while the world watched. Recent free trade agreements have made subsistence living harder than it was and impacted the labor market as people leave their villages to feed their families.

The road to economic justice will vary in differing economies but we believe a living wage is a vital part of the path in the U.S. The American Friends Service Committee and The National Council of Churches USA have commissioned a book "A Just Minimum Wage" in support of the Let Justice Roll Living Wage Campaign. The subtitle is "Good for Workers, Business and Our Future."

The book also quotes figures and gives some real life examples of economic benefit to decent wages with Costco used as a high road economic model. I'm leaving 20 copies available for the asking at The Next Chapter Bookstore.

Vic Yellow Hawk White
Assistant director, AFSC-PMRO,
Central Valley Office, Woodland

Copyright (c) Daily Democrat

Patriot News (PA)
4/26/06

Waiting on the Senate

As a senior in high school, minimum wage jobs are my only option. It is almost funny to me (almost being the key word) that even though I am not out on my own with bills up to my eyeballs, as many minimum wage workers are, I still cannot afford many of my expenses with the current minimum wage.

Who in their right mind decided that minimum wage workers could make a living off a measly $5.15 per hour? If a full-time minimum wage worker worked 40 hours a week year round, they would be making less than $11,000 per year. Honestly, what single person who is living on their own can pay their bills every month with a yearly gross income that is less than $11,000? I think we all know the answer to that one.

If the state Senate does not pass the bill for a minimum wage increase, I hope they are prepared to deal with a ridiculous number of disgruntled Pennsylvanians. $5.15 per hour is just not cutting it.

Angela L. Stipe
Camp Hill

Copyright (c) Patriot News

Braintree Forum (MA)
3/29/06

Justice Sunday

The Unitarian Universalist Service Committee, based in Cambridge, is one of the human rights community's most effective agents. Its work in the area of economic justice will be featured in the annual "Justice Sunday" service at All Souls Church on Sunday, March 26, beginning at 10:30 a.m. Together with other Unitarian Universalist congregations throughout the country, we will be focusing on ways to advance the right of all workers to earn a living wage with dignity.

The UUSC is among the 50-plus faith-based and community organizations that make up the Let Justice Roll Living Wage Campaign, an interfaith and community initiative to raise the minimum wage nationally and in selected states. Speaking at Quincy's Church of the Presidents on Martin Luther King Day, Senator Edward Kennedy pointed out that the Federal minimum wage has remained at $5.15 per hour since 1997. In that time, members of Congress have approved seven pay raises for themselves, totaling $30,000.Yet, the annual salary of a full-time worker earning the Federal minimum wage is a paltry $10,700 -- $5,000 below the official poverty line for a family of three. Along with Representative Miller, Senator Kennedy has introduced the Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2005, which would raise the minimum wage to $7.25 in three steps by 2007, benefiting 15.5 million workers.

Members of the Social Action/Environmental Committee at All Souls Church will lead the service. Resources about the Living Wage Campaign and other economic justice initiatives will be available for review during a coffee hour immediately after the service. The public is invited. The church is located at 196 Elm St. Childcare and religious education is offered. For more information, call All Souls Church at www.allsoulsbraintree.org or call 781-843-1388.

Mary Mitchell

Copyright (c) 2006 Braintree Forum
http://www2.townonline.com/braintree/opinion/view.bg?articleid=460324

The Columbus Dispatch
3/12/06

Move to raise minimum wage isn't enough

Gov. Bob Taft is set to sign into law a measure passed last week by the
General Assembly that raises Ohio's minimum wage to the federal level of $5.15.The measure is Senate Bill 7.

The federal minimum wage has not been increased since September 1997. Statehouse Republicans are celebrating this minimum increase; however, the move is a small, disingenuous step that is not good enough.

Since 1995, I have championed raising the minimum wage to improve the quality of life for hundreds of thousands of workers and their families.

Currently, there is a minimum-wage initiative that is expected to be on the
November ballot that would truly provide the real increase that workers deserve and need. The ballot initiative would not only increase Ohio's minimum wage to $6.85 but also allows for required inflationary increases.

Voters in many other states have embraced similar initiatives because of the failure of Congress to increase the federal minimum wage for almost 10 years.

Senate Bill 7 does not take the steam out of this initiative; rather, it only
emboldens members of the coalition to provide the genuine increase that is needed for workers in Ohio.

In no way should we be celebrating this increase to $5.15 an hour. It took
lawmakers in Columbus nine years to come up to the minimum. To earn $5.15 an hour means to bring home only $10,700 annually to feed, clothe and provide shelter for a family.

Had Ohio's minimum wage kept pace with inflation, it would be closer to $7.55 today, according to Policy Matters Ohio, a nonprofit policy-research
organization.

A true minimum-wage increase benefits all of Ohio by stabilizing families and the work force and minimizing turnover in the workplace.

Keep in mind, the minimum-wage workers in this state are those who make our beds, serve us our food and wait on us in retail stores. They and the value of their work are worth more than $5.15, and that is how I believe voters will respond in November.

SEN. C.J. PRENTISS, Ohio Senate Democratic leader, Board member, Policy Matters Ohio Cleveland

Copyright (c) The Columbus Dispatch

Morning Sentinel (ME)
3/12/06

Higher minimum wage good for many Mainers

Rep. Bob Nutting's comments of Feb. 26 criticized your support of the minimum-wage proposal. I agree with your stand on it.

The idea of six out of 10,000 workers is not correct. Why? If approximately 1.3 million Maine residents were workers, there would only be 780 earning the minimum. (1.3 million divided by 10,000 equals 130, multiplied by 6 equals 780.) The accepted number derived by studies is closer to 35,000 Mainers.

Nutting has unfounded fears. The added 35,000 with more to spend could mean the difference between success or failure for a small business. It could mean diminished financial stress for young families and women, who outnumber men earning the minimum.

Not all seniors are on fixed incomes. Social Security has a threshold at which an increase kicks in. Yes, adjustments are slow in coming.

Any incentive to modify the luxury of eating out would have a positive effect because it is less costly to prepare meals at home. Cash saved can then be spent locally on basic needs such as clothing, shelter, food, fuel and gasoline.

The legislation does not ask for a doubling of wages. It asks for 50 cents over a two-year period. This measure is conservative.

There is extensive research on the various arguments posted on the AFL-CIO Web site, for anyone wanting depth. Also, look at the "Let Justice Roll" campaign Web site, www.letjusticeroll.org. For those without access to the Internet, please read the best- seller "Nickel & Dimed" by Barbara Ehrenreich, copyright 2001.

Paul O. Sylvain
Skowhegan

Copyright (c) Morning Sentinel

Argus Leader (Sioux Falls, SD)
2/16/06

Minimum wage

I hope that Gov. Mike Rounds' recommendation to raise minimum wage to $6 an hour will be reintroduced.

We celebrated Martin Luther King Day last month and recently mourned the death of his widow, Coretta Scott King, who also worked tirelessly for those who are marginalized, in poverty and suffering discrimination.

In 1966, Martin Luther King called for Congress to boost the minimum wage, saying, "We know of no more crucial civil rights issue facing Congress (and state legislators) than the need to increase ... minimum wage and extend its coverage. A living wage should be the right of all working Americans."

Of course, $6 an hour ($12,000 a year) is not a living wage, and $10 an hour ($20,000 a year) just barely will allow one person to sustain him/herself. He/she must deduct sales tax on food, heat and other necessities. King never dreamed that in 2006, the value of minimum wage would be lower than it was in the 1960s.

In the words of Holly Sklar, "We need a wage ethic to go with our work ethic."

Kathleen M. Kersey
Sioux Falls

Copyright (c) Argus Leader

The Intelligencer (Doylestown, PA)
1/18/06

All deserve a living wage

To the Editor:

What an appropriate commentary Lou Sessinger wrote for Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday. When King was cut down on April 4, 1968, he and his associates were working on a multiracial poor people's campaign, declaring that there should be a decent job and income for every American. Today, at the heart of the antipoverty movement in the United States is the issue of a living wage.

Millions of hard-working people in our country who are employed full-time at minimum wage are not able to provide for their families in a way that allows them to live in dignity. The federal minimum wage has been stuck at $5.15 an hour since September 1997. This translates to less than $11,000 a year. A single parent with one child would need to work more than two full-time, minimum-wage jobs to make ends meet, especially in Bucks and Montgomery counties.

It is time for a just minimum wage, at least the $7.25 an hour proposed by the campaign, Let Justice Roll: Faith and Community Voices Against Poverty. The teenagers of Zion Mennonite Church in Souderton are right on the mark in pointing out that there is poverty here amid so much abundance. And that fact, fittingly, does not reflect their moral values.

Larry Miller
New Britain

# # #