(stay tuned to this blog for more information about and photos of the demonstration)
Action Alert:
This morning, the
Reverend J. Herbert Nelson, Director of the Presbyterian
Church (U.S.A.) Office of Public Witness, joined hundreds of
striking workers – mostly janitors and food services workers – from the U.S.
Capitol, Pentagon, Senate, Smithsonian Institution and other federal landmarks,
as they walked off their jobs in protest of poverty pay.
Click
here to write to the President and walk with low-wage workers too.
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| J. Herbert Nelson Marches with Good Jobs Nation Workers in July 2014 |
The Reverend J. Herbert Nelson, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Director for Public Witness, and several other faith leaders joined with workers to
call on President Obama to lead by example and champion the growing
“Fight for 15” movement by signing Model Employer Executive Order
that gives a preference to federal contractors who pay living wages of
at least $15 an hour, provide decent benefits like paid leave, and allow them
to collectively bargain so they need not go on strike to be heard.
Today, the federal contracting process awards contracts to the lowest
bidder, making the government the
largest low-wage job creator in the country, funding over 2 million poverty
jobs through contracts, loans, and grants to private businesses. Taxpayer
dollars should create good jobs that pay workers livable wages, provide
benefits, paid sick leave, and dignity in the workplace. We know from
past movements that Executive Orders related to federal contract hiring can
lead the marketplace, creating a tide that lifts all workers and builds a
stronger economy.
This morning was the twelfth strike in two years by low-wage contract
workers who are organizing under the banner of Good Jobs Nation.
This is the second time in a year that Reverend Nelson has walked with these
workers. In response to previous strikes and Congressional
gridlock, President Obama declared he would “lead by example” by signing
executive orders to boost the minimum wage to $10.10 and end wage theft on
federal contracts. In the wake of the President’s orders last year,
the CEOs of private companies like The Gap, IKEA, McDonalds and Wal-Mart
announced that they too would hike starting pay and several cities passed
ordinances to end wage theft.
However, just like the thousands of fast food worker who are calling
for better pay, benefits, and working conditions, federal contract workers say
they need “More than the
Minimum” to survive. Even after President Obama’s executive orders,
the U.S. Government continues to be America’s largest low-wage job creator.
We can do so much better.
Reverend Nelson was joined in his solidarity with low-wage workers by
several other religious leaders who wrote a letter to President Obama calling
for his moral leadership in response to the suffering created by poverty wages –
We therefore call on you to issue a “Model
Employer Executive Order” that provides a contracting preference for companies
that pay living wages of at least $15 an hour, offer good benefits and
paid-time off for sickness and care-giving, provide full-time hours and
predictable work schedules, as well as promote the rights of workers to bargain
collectively so they do not need to strike to have their voices heard.
For the complete letter and list of signatures, please
visit the Office of Public Witness blog.
