December 15, 2015- Senate workers won a new raise of $14.50 an hour on yesterday.
The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Office of Public Witness along with other ecumenical/interfaith partners were instrumental in the struggle to increase wages for low wage government contract workers. The Office of Public Witness and other partners advocated for a $15.00 an hour increase. The Senate rules committee signed a new contract that raises wages to 14.50 per hour.
Reverend Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, II commented "We are thankful for the support of Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) members who responded to action alerts; contacting their Senators; and advocating for government contract and other low wage workers on the local level." Nelson cited that "the struggle for economic justice on both Capitol Hill and local communities is not over, however the Senate vote on yesterday is a significant step in the right direction. The Church must continue its efforts to stand with the poor. This vote signals that our voice is heard when we are both compassionate and persistent in our efforts to impact social change. We are thankful to God through Jesus Christ that our prophetic voice was heard and workers can celebrate a significant coming of the Lord during this Advent/Christmas Season."
