September, 2000
Thanks
to the work of the Social Justice Task Force of the United Parish there,
the Town of Brookline is considering a Living Wage ordinance to lift
local workers out of poverty.
The
task force recently convinced Town Meeting voters to appoint a committee
to work on a Living Wage ordinance. The ordinance would then have to
be approved at next year’s Annual Meeting.
“The
Living Wage Movement, which has been successful in passing ordinances
in many cities and towns throughout the US, reflects the concern that
the current minimum wage does not provide an income for a family to
live on, instead leaving them at or below the Federal Poverty level,”
said Donna Costa, the coordinator of lay ministries at United Parish.
Living
Wage ordinances have been passed in Boston, Cambridge and Somerville.
Most such ordinances apply to city or town employees and employees of
businesses that either have contracts with or receive subsidies from
the city or town.
Pat
Burnett, chair of United Parish’s Social Justice Task Force, said
they are hoping for a broader law, that would apply to any medium or
large business.
Costa
said the church’s task force initially became interested in the
Living Wage Movement after hearing a presentation by members of United
for a Fair Economy. The group then brought a resolution to the church’s
All-Parish meeting which voted to bring the issue to Brookline’s
Town Meeting.
Costa
said the task force got support from various faith communities, labor
unions and community organizations. The group also arranged for speakers
from various organizations to attend the meeting.
Two
members of the church are now on the committee appointed by the Town
Moderator to work on the bylaw.
Burnett
and Costa said that while there is still much work to be done on the
issue, the success so far has been gratifying.
“This
really appealed to our sense of the mission of the church to serve the
poor,” Burnett said. “This has been done by a lot of churches.
The original Living Wage campaign, in Baltimore in 1994, was organized
by a coalition of black churches. Since then, it has been passed by
42 cities and towns in the country, many through the work of churches
in those communities.”
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