Wages Measure How We Honor Human Dignity and the Dignity of Work
The November 2015 webinar on Low Wages and Costly Housing presented by the Economic Justice team outlined innovative ideas for housing plus the current state of wages and inequality. Below are suggested actions for two current wage efforts. Download the PowerPoint! Dignity at Work-The Moral Imperative of a Living Wage.
SUPPORT WALMART WORKERS--www.makingchangeatwalmart.org
• Sign a letter supporting the campaign
• Visit one of the actions at your local Walmart
• Put an article in your church’s newsletter about the experience
• Invite a Walmart worker to speak at your church
• Lift up the struggles of Walmart workers living in poverty during your congregation’s Joys and Sorrows
SUPPORT STATE LEGISLATION
California SB935 (Leno): Calls for $13.00/hour by 2017 And indexed to inflation in 2018. It passed the Senate this year, but failed in an Assembly committee, with a couple of key Democrats not voting. It will be reintroduced next year.
Minimum Wage Increase Gains Momentum
“No labor is menial unless you’re not getting adequate wages.” Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
There is clear public support for increasing the wages of the lowest paid workers in California. To date almost 30 cities and counties have passed minimum wage or living wage laws that lift the take home pay of California workers. Other proposals are pending: in El Cerrito in the San Francisco Bay Area, there is a hearing next week on a proposed increase in the minimum wage to $15/hour by 2020, with Cost of Living increases thereafter, plus paid sick days and insurance that workers benefit from so-called “service charges” or “hospitality fees.” Interfaith coalitions which include UUs have been vocal in their support for this proposal.Continue reading
Darden Restaurants Must Do Better
The Unitarian Universalist Justice Ministry of California is proud to act as a partner to the Restaurant Opportunities Centers in working to win justice for restaurant workers in our state and across the nation. Here is their latest report on what’s happening in the struggle for fair wages and decent working conditions at Darden Restaurants:
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