Well, I'm happy to announce that, accompanied with lively debate both in the resolution committee and on the floor of convention, the living wage has been adopted as a standard for The Episocopal Church in the Diocese of Alabama. Please, keep our diocesan council in your prayers as they determine how to implement the living wage in our diocese. The final version of the resolution is as shown below.

A Resolution in Support of a Living Wage
Resolution # 4

Resolved, that the 176th Convention of the Episcopal Church in the Diocese of Alabama actively support the establishment of a living wage for all workers; and be it further

Resolved, that a living wage standard be defined as the Alabama poverty guideline for a family of four, to wit: 125% of the most recent federal poverty guideline for a family of four, as adjusted and published annually by the United States Department of Health and Human Services; and be it further

Resolved, that this Convention strongly urge those responsible for planning events hosted by the Diocese of Alabama to comply with this resolution and to commit the Diocese of Alabama at all levels, whenever possible, to obtain confirmation that local prevailing living wages are paid by hotels the Church uses; and be it further

Resolved, that the standard defined above shall be the goal of all parishes, worshipping communities and institutions of the Diocese as the minimum compensation of lay employees.

Adopted by the Diocesan Convention, February 16, 2007

Explanation

One of the central biblical imperatives is the call for us to uplift those living in poverty. Persistent and widespread poverty is for us a primary issue. In the Hebrew scriptures, the biblical prophet Isaiah offered us God’s vision of a good society. His words are as relevant today as they were 3,000 years ago, and show us the way forward. Isaiah envisions a society where:

"No more shall there be in it an infant that lives but a few days, or an old person who does not live a lifetime…They shall build houses and inhabit them: they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit. They shall not build and another inhabit: they shall not plant and another eat; for like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be, and my chosen will long enjoy the work of their hands. They shall not labor in vain, or bear their children for calamity; for they shall be offspring blessed by the Lord….” (Isaiah 65:20-25)

In the New Testament, Jesus defines his mission to be:

“to bring good news to the poor, to proclaim liberty to captives, new sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free” (Luke 4:18-19)

Jesus identifies so completely with poor and oppressed people that he told his followers that to meet or fail to meet the needs of the hungry, the stranger, the one without clothing, the sick, or the prisoner is to serve or not serve Jesus himself (Matthew 25).

This vision includes fair and good wages, housing and health, safety and security. In America, people who work should not be poor, but today many are. We must ensure that all people who are able to work have jobs where they do not labor in vain, but have access to good health care, decent housing, and are able to support their families. The future of our country depends upon strong and stable families that can successfully raise their children.

As encouraged by General Convention Resolutions GC2003-A130 and GC2006-D047, and in the midst of our prayerful conduct of the business of this Diocesan Convention, we call your attention to those who work in the hotels we occupy here; those workers who make the beds, vacuum the rooms, clean the toilets, carry our bags, and prepare and serve our food. We trust all will agree that in their work they deserve justice, respect, and a living wage that will support their families in our current economy. We therefore call your attention to the following facts, and invite your support of this resolution.

It is our understanding is that none of the hotels here in Tuscaloosa are either union hotels or providing a living wage. We deeply lament this. Some facts to consider:

In Alabama, 4.6 percent of hourly workers, or 53,000 people, earn the minimum wage of $5.15 or less, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The average hourly wage in Alabama for a Food Preparation & Service-Related worker is $7.04. (Source: The Living Wage Calculator at http://www.livingwage.geog.psu.edu/)

Working full time (2080 hours per year), a Food Preparation & Service-Related worker above would earn $14,643/year. That falls well short of what it would take to provide even a minimum acceptable income - given today's soaring housing, health, and transportation costs. It is also reported that in 1999 (the last year for which figures are available) about 24% of persons at work in non-agriculture industries were employed less than 35 hours per week.
(Source: http://www.allcountries.org/uscensus/658_persons_at_work_by_hours_worked.html)

This proposed resolution provides a definition and formula (125% of the federal poverty guideline for a family of four as published by the United States Department of Health and Human Services http://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty/) for determining the current poverty guideline, and is also intended as a minimum guideline, on an annual basis, for compensation of lay employees of parishes, worshipping communities, and other institutions. The living wage is the minimum compensation to be paid to those employees.

For the year 2006, the federal poverty guideline is $20,000 annually for a family of four. The living wage guideline in this proposed resolution is 125% of that number, or $25,000. This equals $12.00/hour for a full-time worker.

Adopted by the Diocesan Convention, February 16, 2007