Senator Kennedy at UU Quincy Church on MLK Day
WHO:US Senator Edward Kennedy WHAT:Speaking for a Just Minimum Wage WHEN: Martin Luther King, Jr.Day, Monday, January 16th at 2:30 p.m. WHERE: United First Parish Unitarian, Quincy MA (the historic "Church of the Presidents') 1306 Hancock St., Quincy, MA.The church is located in Quincy Center opposite Quincy City Hall and at the Quincy Center T Station stop(Red Line, Braintree branch). Street parking will be available on the MLK holiday as well as at nearby public garages.For directions see http://www.ufpc.orgor call (617) 773-1290 x3.
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United First Parish Unitarian in Quincy MA is hosting a LET JUSTICE ROLL Living Wage event on Martin Luther King, Jr.Day, Monday, January 16th at 2:30 p.m.
The event will feature US Senator Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts, who will speak on the moral obligation and urgent necessity for increasing the minimum wage at the federal level as one step toward achieving a living wage. The national minimum wage has not been raised for eight years. To have the purchasing power it had in 1968 the minimum wage would have to be $9.05/hour today, $3.90 more than the current minimum wage of $5.15/hour.
Senator Kennedy has been working with the national non-partisan interfaith and community LET JUSTICE ROLL Living Wage campaign to introduce federal legislation to raise the national minimum wage. The campaign is also working in several states to raise the state minimum wage through ballot initiatives and legislation. See www.LetJusticeRoll.org for MLK Living Wage Worship Service and Event Resources and for a comprehensive report released in November: A Just Minimum Wage: Good for Workers, Business and Our Future.
The UUA and UUSC are both active members in the LET JUSTICE ROLL Living Wage Campaign. Hundreds of worship services and events will be held across the country on Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend by the coalition members that include over 50 faith and community organizations.
The United First Parish Unitarian Church of Quincy, and their minister Rev. Sheldon Bennett,have been staunch advocates for economic justice through their active participation in the Greater Boston Interfaith Organization, which has led the Justice for Janitors campaign, the establishment of the MA Affordable Housing Trust, and is currently engaged in the Health Care for All initiative.
"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." --The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
posted by Paul Wilczynski @ 1:59 PM
1 Comments:
One thing I liked about Bush's Social Security plan was it focused on building assets and capital for workers by giving them some ownership of the American and World Economy.
Creating an economy that allows people to build and create wealth, as opposed to a living wage is what really should be a progressives goal.
Sen Kennedy himself earns a rather low earned income off his Senators salary compared to his neigbors in Reston and supplemants his income with unearned income from substantial nest egg of Capital he received from his Dad.
Bush's goal is a society where workers own American and World stocks and assets and can also, if they chose, bequeth that to their kids just as Joe Kennedy did.
Chicago's Big Bill Haywood and IWW used to talk about ending Wage Slavery. (IWW still does actually, the link is to their webpage.)
We forget sometimes how Radical Bush is, and how reactionary (or just unimaginative) Kennedy has become.
A lot more Radical then telling people we'll bust your wage 50 cents or a buck; and driving more of them off the legal economy probably.
All this at a time of impending labor shortages which mean the Gov is going to take those meager wages back as FICA tax to finance this generations retirement.
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