Labor Day Action Alert: Celebrating Workers by Improving Jobs

Today, we observe Labor Day. This national holiday is “dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.”[i]

In the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), we have long supported the rights of workers to organize, to share in workplace decisions and productivity growth, to seek protections from dangerous working conditions, and to gain time and benefits to enable full family life.[ii] Today we give thanks for workers and for vocation, which is a gift from God.

But the state of today’s economy does not serve all workers. According to a new paper published by the Economic Policy Institute:

“Comparing the first half of 2014 with the first half of 2007 (the last period of reasonable labor market health before the Great Recession), hourly wages for the vast majority of American workers have been flat or falling. And even since 1979, the vast majority of American workers have seen their hourly wages stagnate or decline—even though decades of consistent gains in economy-wide productivity have provided ample room for wage growth.

“The poor performance of American workers’ wages in recent decades—particularly their failure to grow at anywhere near the pace of overall productivity—is the country’s central economic challenge. Indeed, it’s hard to think of a more important economic development in recent decades. It is at the root of the large rise in overall income inequality that has attracted so much attention in recent years. A range of other economic challenges—reducing poverty, increasing mobility, and spurring a more complete recovery from the Great Recession—also rely largely on boosting hourly wage growth for the vast majority.[iii]

J. Herbert Nelson walks with Clergy Partners and Workers.

We must take proactive steps to improve jobs and wages, and to reduce inequality in this nation. This year, the Office of Public Witness has been working closely with partners at Interfaith Worker Justice and Good Jobs Nation. At a July 29 joint action of striking workers and religious leaders, Director for Public Witness, J. Herbert Nelson said,

“In the church, we believe in the inherent dignity of work and that God has called each of us to a vocation. Workers have a right to be compensated for their work with a fair wage that provides a living. One of the best ways to improve jobs is to give workers the leverage to organize for better pay, working conditions, and benefits. We have allowed greed to perpetuate a class of working poor in this country, even though there is easily enough for everyone to have what we each need. Worker pay has stagnated while productivity and wealth have skyrocketed. This is our shared failure and it is a sin.[iv]

There are many steps we must take to reverse the widening economic divide in our country, but one of the first could be to raise the minimum wage above the poverty level.

Write to your members of Congress and tell them to raise the minimum wage.

Read J. Herbert Nelson’s reflection on Work, Worth and Value,[v] published this summer shortly after his arrest in an act of solidarity and nonviolent civil disobedience.  Read more about the Office of Public Witness’ work on jobs and labor justice on our blog.

Celebrate Labor Day with us by speaking out for decent jobs and good wages. A job should keep you out of poverty, not trap you in it.

---

[i] “A History of Labor Day,” U.S. Department of Labor, http://www.dol.gov/laborday/history.htm

[ii] This characterization of PC(USA) support for workers’ right to unionize is excerpted from the Social Creed for the 21st Century, approved by the 218th General Assembly (2008) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)

[iii] “Why America’s Workers Need Faster Wage Growth—And What We Can Do About It,” by Elise Gould; Economic Policy Institute. Aug. 27, 2014. http://www.epi.org/publication/why-americas-workers-need-faster-wage-growth

[iv] “Federal Jobs Lead the Marketplace,” Office of Public Witness blog; July 29, 2014; http://officeofpublicwitness.blogspot.com/2014/07/federal-jobs-lead-marketplace.html

[v] “Work, Worth and Value: a Reflection on Work by J. Herbert Nelson,” Advocacy as Discipleship, a publication of the Office of Public Witness; Office of Public Witness blog; July 30, 2014; http://officeofpublicwitness.blogspot.com/2014/07/work-worth-and-value.html

Thank You President Obama; Take the Next Step

“You shall not defraud your neighbor; you shall not steal; and you shall not keep for yourself the wages of a laborer until morning”  -- Lev. 19:13

Last week, the Reverend Dr. J Herbert Nelson was arrested in front of Union Station in Washington, D.C., along with other faith leaders and workers. In solidarity with the 8 million U.S. workers who are dependent upon federal contract jobs, Rev. Dr. Nelson has called on the President to ensure that the federal government only does business with companies that pay a living wage and provide good benefits, follow wage, hour, and safety laws, allow workers to bargain collectively, and limit overspending on CEO pay.

To read the Rev. J Herbert Nelson's Reflection on Work, click HERE.

The President responded. Two days later, President Obama signed an executive order (EO) aimed at reducing labor law violations among firms that contract with the federal government. This order requires companies bidding for federal contracts to disclose their recent compliance with labor and employment laws and instructs federal agencies to consider this compliance, or lack thereof, in the process of awarding federal contracts.

One Step Closer: Rev. J Herbert Nelson responds to President Obama's Executive Order

This is an excellent step forward and deserves praise. And because this order applies company-wide, not only to the workers directly employed through the contract, it has the potential to improve jobs across the economy. But there is still more to be done. With the stroke of a pen the president could further improve jobs for workers, federal contract workers and across the economy. For this goal,  the Rev. Dr. J Herbert Nelson participated in a nonviolence civil disobedience with local workers and clergy.

Click HERE to thank President Obama and urge him take the next step and make sure the workers have a voice in the workplace.

There are real benefits to this action. According to Demos, allowing federally contracted workers to bargain collectively would help put 21 million people (8 million workers and their families) on the path to the middle class. This nation became the leading economic power of the world when it had a strong middle class that was paid fair wages and had a strong voice to their employer through unionization.

Federal Jobs Lead the Marketplace, writes Rev. J Herbert Nelson.

The federal government is currently the largest employer of low-wage workers in the nation, spending $1.3 trillion on purchasing goods and services through private companies. What’s more, the federal government has often set the precedent of change in this country. For example, President Lyndon Johnson’s Executive Order 11246 established racial non-discrimination in hiring and employment by U.S. contractors, a precursor to the landmark Civil Rights Act. President Obama too can lead by example. As the largest employer of low-wage workers, the President is setting precedent for the nation’s marketplace. Tell him to take justice for workers a step farther and ensure collective bargaining rights for workers whose wages come from taxpayers.

President Obama has acted to protect U.S. workers. THANK him, and urge him to build on last week’s action with the Good Jobs Executive Order.

The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has long invested in the dignity of work and supported rights and protections for workers. Dating back to the 1952 General Assembly, the Presbyterian Church urged a “…greater emphasis upon free collective bargaining in labor- management relations,” and that Presbyterians “…participate more actively in management organizations and labor unions as an expression of Christian vocation….” This commitment has not changed in the present day. The 220^th General Assembly (2012) upheld its 1952 stance when it passed A Resolution on Workers’ Rights and Income Inequality that recognized “the PC(USA)’s historic support of collective bargaining rights regarding wages benefits, and unemployment.”

Urge Your Representatives to Pass the Fair Minimum Wage Act

Many U.S. workers have come to rely on and expect an annual wage increase from their employers. Indeed, the practice of annual cost of living increases and raises came into standard practice in the heyday of labor unions when the collective bargaining power of workers ensured that the increased productivity of the company was shared with all its employees, not just those at the top.  And yet, today marks the fifth anniversary since the last time the United States government raised the minimum wage. For tipped workers, the wait has been even longer, as the tipped worker minimum wage has stagnated at $2.13 per hour since 1991.

Click here to write to your Members of Congress in support of a raise for low-wage workers.

Low-wage workers have gone five long years without a raise, even while there have been positive signs of economic growth -- GDP has surpassed pre-recession levels and the unemployment rate has reached the lowest level since before the recession. But while the economy is improving, low-wage workers still feel like we’re in a recession. As the economy has improved, better-paying jobs have been replaced by lower-wage jobs, meaning that highly qualified workers are taking jobs out of their field and below their skills and/or education levels. The U.S. labor force participation rate is at its lowest since 1978 (meaning that the unemployment rate is going down, in part, because workers are despairing, giving up their job searches, and leaving the labor market), the median income is at its lowest since 1998, and income and wealth inequality are growing. All of these problems are economic drags on the economy.

 Living wages that allow workers to support themselves and their families are crucial to closing the widening gaps in our economy, and a minimum wage above poverty level for a family is a great place to start. It is time for Congress to lift minimum and low-wage workers out of poverty by raising the minimum wage above a poverty wage. A job should keep you out of poverty, not trap you in it.

Currently, the minimum wage is $7.25 per hour. The Fair Minimum Wage Act (H.R. 1010/H.S. 1737) will raise of the minimum wage to $10.10 per hour and will lift a family of four just above the federal poverty measure. While this increase still is not high enough to ensure a living wage, it is an important step in the right direction. The bill also raises the minimum wage for tipped workers and indexes the minimum wage for inflation; ensuring low-wage workers too will come to receive the same annual cost of living increase as so many others in the economy. A recent study cited by Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) shows that had the minimum wage kept pace with economic productivity, it would now be about $22 per hour. This is one reason income inequality has been growing so precipitously and it shows how much more work we have to do in demanding justice for the worker. 

Write to your member of Congress and call for a minimum wage increase: HERE

The Department of Labor estimates that a total of 28 million workers would benefit if the minimum wage were raised to $10.10. In earning higher wages, 3.8 million people would earn enough that they would no longer need to rely on SNAP (food stamps) assistance, saving the federal government over $500 million over the fiscal year. Between 14-17 million children would benefit from the raise. This is more than a question of justice for the worker, though it is that. A just minimum wage is about ensuring an economy that provides good jobs for working people, lifts families out of poverty, and pays workers a fair day’s wage for a fair day’s work.

Write to your Members of Congress today! 

Image via Department of Labor

In 2006, the PC(USA)’s 217th General Assembly called on Congress to pass “legislation to increase the minimum wage… [to] at least reflect the increase in the cost of living since the last minimum wage increase in 1997, with the goal of a wage level sufficient to lift full-time workers out of poverty.” (Minutes, 2006, pp. 894-895)

Home Care Workers should have Wage Protection too

Tell Your Senator: Don't Prevent Home Health Workers from Earning Minimum Wage

In December of 2011, the Obama administration announced that it was proposing updates to regulations under the Fair Labor Standards Act that would ensure minimum wage and overtime protections to in-home care workers. More information about the proposed changes is available from the Department of Labor. Office of Public Witness Director, Rev. J. Herbert Nelson, submitted comments to the Department of Labor in support of this proposed regulation:

In light of our theological understanding of vocation and stewardship, and of the inherent value of work, we believe that all persons deserve the opportunity and have a responsibility to productive work at a fair wage.  This proposed rule will serve the common good by making working and living situations that much better for a segment of the population.  As our neighbors rise, so do we all.  Emphasizing the common good has clear implications for improving the economic security of older adults and for the workers who care for them.  We strongly support this proposed policy, which will improve the quality of care for people living with age-related and other disabilities, and the quality of the jobs of those who provide that care.

While this proposed change was intended to respond to the changing nature of the growing in-home care industry, some in Congress are working to prevent home health workers from accessing basic minimum wage and overtime protections. Tell your Senator today that home health workers deserve a living wage.

With respect to home care workers, in 2001, the Presbyterian General Assembly, "encourage[d] the church to be diligent in its covenant responsibility to its older members and their caregivers, advocating for living wages for all in this important industry." And in 2006, the General Assembly approved Economic Security for Older Adults, in which it advocated a system that "provide[s] workers in the formal, long-term care system decent wages, benefits, and working conditions." Home care workers provide skilled care for their patients and clients. They are much more than sitters and companions. Take action today to ensure that they get the wages they deserve.

This graphic outlines some statistics about home health care workers in this county. The facts are clear: home health workers deserve a living wage. Don't let Congress prevent them from earning one.