US Bishop's Labor Day Statement - Immigration
Labor Day is a “time to recommit in our own small ways – to our own work, to treat others justly, and to defend the lives, dignity, and rights of workers, especially the most vulnerable. This is a requirement of our faith and a way to advance the promise of our nation.”
“We have to find a way to re-start the discussion, to re-engage the hard issues, to search for practical and realistic solutions. This debate brought out some of the worst in us. Now we need to draw on the best in us if we are ever going to move forward as a whole, healthy society and nation.”
“A renewed immigration discussion ought to include “reality, civility, morality and consistency.”
Tags: Advocacy, Anti-poverty strategies, Homelessness, Poverty Analysis
The Bishop’s Labor Day statement is an important reminder of the plight of workers. Even in the United States, where workers fare much better than they do in many parts of the world, about 8 million people are classified as working poor, that is, they spent 27 or more weeks of the year in the labor force, but their income still fell below the poverty line. According to the most recent statistics of the Department of Labor, 12% of families with at least one member in the workforce were in poverty. Despite some improvement in the numbers and some local success in passing living wage ordinances, it is still the case that nearly one-fourth of the American workforce earns wages at or below the poverty line.1 Comment
Happy Labor Day.
The Bishop’s Labor Day statement is an important reminder of the plight of workers. Even in the United States, where workers fare much better than they do in many parts of the world, about 8 million people are classified as working poor, that is, they spent 27 or more weeks of the year in the labor force, but their income still fell below the poverty line. According to the most recent statistics of the Department of Labor, 12% of families with at least one member in the workforce were in poverty. Despite some improvement in the numbers and some local success in passing living wage ordinances, it is still the case that nearly one-fourth of the American workforce earns wages at or below the poverty line.
Happy Labor Day.