FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
CONTACT:
Leslie Tune, 202/481-6927 or 202/297-2191
Email: Ltune@ncccusa.org
Faith
and Community Groups Hold “Living Wage Days”
Events Across Nation to Honor MLK Birthday With
Urgent Call To Raise the Minimum Wage
Sen.
Kennedy joins religious leaders at “Church
of the Presidents” in
Quincy, Mass.
Rev.
Dr. James Forbes Jr. preaches on MLK and living
wage at Riverside Church, NY
UUA
President Sinkford preaches on raising minimum
wage in San Diego
More
than 60 events in Ohio, 20 in Arkansas; Many more
from Ariz. to W. Virginia
Washington,
D.C., January 13, 2006—Rev. Dr. Martin
Luther King Jr. did not dream that today’s
minimum wage would have much less buying power
than it did in 1968. “There is nothing but
a lack of social vision to prevent us from paying
an adequate wage to every American [worker] whether
he is a hospital worker, laundry worker, maid
or day laborer,” Dr. King. said nearly 40
years ago in his book, “Where Do We
Go From Here: Chaos or Community?”
Today,
most Americans support a higher minimum wage,
but Congress has not raised it in 100 months.
The minimum wage has lost nearly a fifth of its
value since the last increase in 1997 to $5.15
an hour, and would be more than $9 an hour if
it had kept pace with inflation since 1968.
To
honor Dr. King with action as well as words, the
Let Justice Roll Living Wage Campaign has sponsored
“Living Wage Days,” involving worship
services, rallies and other community events in
26 states and counting. Services and events on
Jan. 14-16 and beyond will highlight the urgent
need to raise the minimum wage on both the federal
and state level. The Let Justice Roll Living Wage
Campaign is working with campaigns to raise the
minimum wage in a growing number of states, including
Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Michigan,
Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
“We
have a biblical mandate to speak out against injustice.
The minimum wage is supposed to keep people out
of poverty, not keep them in it. We will use our
resources to make sure the minimum wage is increased
to a level respecting the dignity and livelihoods
of low-wage workers,” said the Rev. Dr.
Robert W. Edgar, General Secretary of the National
Council of Churches USA, a sponsor of the Let
Justice Roll Living Wage Campaign.
“The
response to Living Wage Days has been extraordinary
and reinforces our conviction that most Americans
believe in justice, and a just minimum wage is
long overdue,” said the Rev. Dr. Paul Sherry,
the Let Justice Roll Campaign coordinator and
co-author with political analyst Holly Sklar of
the new report, “A Just Minimum Wage:
Good for Workers, Business and Our Future.”
Here are some “Living Wage Days” highlights:
- Sen.
Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) and Rev. Robert W.
Edgar and other religious leaders will participate
in a worship service at 2:30 p.m. on
Monday, Jan. 16 at United First Parish Church
Unitarian in Quincy, Mass., known as
“The Church of the Presidents” because
it is the burial site of John Adams and John
Quincy Adams. Sen. Kennedy introduced legislation
to increase the federal minimum wage twice in
2005, and will keep working to give American
workers the raise they deserve.
-
At The Riverside Church in New York City on
Sunday, Jan. 15, Rev. Dr. James Forbes, the
senior minister, will address the urgency of
raising the minimum wage in his Martin Luther
King Jr. birthday sermon. Rev. Forbes wrote
the foreword to “A Just Minimum Wage:
Good for Workers, Business and Our Future”
and is a leading voice in the Let Justice
Roll Campaign.
-
In San Diego, Rev. William Sinkford, President
of the Unitarian Universalist Association of
Congregations, will preach about raising the
minimum wage at the First Unitarian Universalist
church.
-
In Ohio, Let Justice Roll volunteers are participating
in more than 60 events throughout the state,
including major events in Akron, Cincinnati
and Cleveland, and will be getting petitions
signed for the ballot initiative to raise Ohio’s
minimum wage. Rev. Sherry will participate in
a training and petition drive beginning at the
Euclid Avenue United Church of Christ in Cleveland
on Jan. 16 at 9:30am.
-
In Arkansas, more than 20 events will take place
across the state, including United Methodist,
Roman Catholic, Cooperative Baptist Fellowship,
Lutheran, Jewish, Unitarian Universalist and
Muslim congregations.
The
Let Justice Roll Living Wage Campaign is composed
of more than 50 faith and community organizations
who have joined together to raise the minimum
wage at the federal level and in selected states.
In the words of the Campaign, “The minimum
wage is where society draws the line: This low
and no lower. Our bottom line is this: A job should
keep you out of poverty, not keep you in it.”
Additional
information about the Let Justice Roll Living
Wage Campaign is online at www.letjusticeroll.org,
including resources for “Living Wage Days”
events, state campaign information, and “A
Just Minimum Wage,” which was produced for
the Campaign by the American Friends Service Committee
and the National Council of Churches USA.
###
EDITOR’S
NOTE: Participants in the Jan. 16 “Living
Wage Days” event in Quincy, Mass. will be
available to the press for interviews. Rev. Dr.
Paul Sherry can be reached at (917) 226-5301.
Holly Sklar, policy analyst and co-author of “A
Just Minimum Wage” can be reached at (617)
522-2923. To set up interviews with Rev. Dr. Bob
Edgar or for more information, media should contact
Leslie Tune at (202) 481-6927 or (202) 297-2191.
For
further information about Living Wage Days in
these states contact:
Arkansas:
Rev. Steve Copley
President
Arkansas Interfaith Conference
Phone: 501-835-2201
Cell: 501-626-9220
Email: scopley438@aol.com
Ohio:
Katy Heins
Lead Organizer, Let Justice Roll Ohio
Phone: 513-314-0074
letjusticerollohio@yahoo.com
Pennsylvania:
The Rev. Sandra L. Strauss
Director of Public Advocacy
Pennsylvania Council of Churches
Phone: 717- 545-4761
s.strauss@pachurches.org
West
Virginia:
Rick Wilson
Project Director
American Friends Service Committee
West Virginia Economic Justice Project
Phone: 304-529-3890
Cell: 304-412-1924
Rwilson@afsc.org
For
additional contacts about state minimum wage
campaigns contact:
Arizona:
Sarah Markey
Head Organizer
Arizona ACORN (offices in Phoenix, Glendale, Tucson,
Mesa)
Phone: 602-573-2361
azacorn@acorn.org
Colorado:
Jeff Robinson
ACORN Minimum Wage Campaign
Phone: 202-378-8023
polcampaigns@acorn.org
Michigan:
David Lagstein
Head Organizer
Michigan ACORN
Phone:313-963-1840
miacorn@acorn.org
Ohio:
Katy Gall
Head Organizer
Ohio ACORN (offices in Cleveland, Columbus, Toledo,
Akron and Cincinnati)
Phone: 614-390-1042
ohacorn@acorn.org
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