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News :: Miscellaneous |
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Faith & Worker Justice in C-U |
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by Nancy Dietrich-Rybicki, Urbana-Champaign IMC
Email: nancydietrich (nospam) juno.com (unverified!) |
21 May 2001
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Kim Bobo, Executive Director of the National Interfaith Committee for Worker Justice, gave a presentation on the role of religious communities in the struggle for workplace justice. |
What can religious communities do to support the struggle for workplace justice? Kim Bobo, Executive Director of the National Interfaith Committee for Worker Justice, discussed several ways for religious communities in the Urbana-Champaign area to become involved in this struggle at the Illinois Disciples Foundation last Thursday, May 17th. The lecture was sponsored by the Interfaith Committee for Worker Justice of Champaign County.
Ms. Bobo discussed 4 ways for religious communities to support workers. Her first suggestion was to collectively challenge our current leadership. She stated that Senator Peter Fitzgerald is a critical vote on how much & how fast the government should increase the minimum wage. She suggested that Interfaith Committees around the state create a unified strategy to set up meetings to discuss this topic with him and other legislators involved with labor decisions.
A second suggestion was for religious communities to challenge law-breaking industries. Several industries, including nursing homes, restaurants, and chicken factories, are currently in violation of wage laws. Not complying with current wage laws affects the most vulnerable workers in our society: immigrants, low-wage workers, and youth, Ms. Bobo emphasized. Religious communities can challenge these practices by exposing the law-breakers, and by building relationships with the government agencies which regulate these industries, which was Ms. Bobo’s third suggestion.
Ms. Bobo stated that the Department of Labor has always focused on compliance of industries at the company level, instead of working at the employee level, which would mean informing workers of their rights. Interfaith Committees that she has been involved in convened a series of meetings with the State and Federal Departments of Labor to discuss problems of equity in the workplace. It was discovered that there weren’t even any complaint forms available for workers to file a complaint to these agencies. Through these meetings, they came up with a complaint form, and were able to develop relationships with key people in these agencies. She also suggested a CD bulletin insert entitled, \"Know Your Rights,\" for religious communities to potentially reach out to those in their own congregations. These can be obtained through the National Interfaith Committee on Worker Justice.
The 4th suggestion Ms. Bobo gave was to stand with workers who choose to organize, particularly in public venues. Utilizing clergy is particularly effective in marches, prayer vigils, etc. in public displays of support for workers.
Ms. Bobo also gave some pieces of advice to the audience to take back to their religious communities:
1. Find simple projects to do within your community that you know will be effective, such as inviting a labor organizer to speak to your congregation.
2. Use creative actions & tactics that will engage others- and invite the clergy to participate.
3. Bridge the barriers of segregation- reach out to other religious communities that may have a different demographic than your own.
4. Reach out to everyone- young, old, etc.
5. In the Urbana-Champaign area, we have a special obligation to campus ministry, to teach students about worker justice issues within these ministries.
And 6. Think big! Create a larger vision of worker justice in order to move forward with larger projects.
For more information on getting involved with the Interfaith Committee for Worker Justice of Champaign County, call 344-8283.
\"The mission of the Interfaith Committee on Worker Justice of Champaign County is to mobilize the religious and labor communities to be advocates for the rights of workers and their families. We believe that justice in employment is essential for the dignity of individuals, families, and communities, and that organized labor is vital to the achievement of social and economic justice. As a part of the National Interfaith Committee for Worker Justice (NICWJ) we join with them in drawing on the moral teachings of the world’s religions in order to educate, organize and mobilize the religious community on issues and campaigns that will improve wages, benefits, and working conditions for workers, especially low-wage workers.\" ---The Interfaith Committee for Worker Justice of Champaign County
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