Catholic leaders in the United States are asking Congress to pass legislation that will raise the minimum wage "to lift up the struggles of low-wage workers and their families."
In their joint letter, Rev. Thomas Wenski of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and Sister Donna Markham, president of Catholic Charities USA, told Congress that there is a need to adjust wages for all workers.
The federal minimum wage is currently set at $7.25 per hour. This took effect in 2009 as part of the Fair Labor Standards Act. On several occasions, President Obama has appealed to Congress and businesses to increase the minimum wage. In his most recent appeal, he asked the private sector to increase the basic pay to more than $10 an hour. In February last year he signed an executive order raising the minimum pay for federal contract workers at $10.10 per hour.
Even with the latest pay hike, the two Catholic leaders said there is still a need "to advance legislation and policies that would ensure fair and just wages for all workers, and in doing so improve the financial security of millions of American families."
Their letter explained that "an economy thrives only when it is centred on the dignity and well-being of the workers and families in it."
"As pastors and service providers, we see every day the consequences when society fails to honour this priority," the letter said, adding that a full-year, full-time worker who earns federal minimum wage does not make enough to raise a child free from poverty.
Moreover, the wage is static since it is not tied to inflation and only increases when Congress raises it. As such, the dollar value of the wage actually falls every year due to inflation and the rise in the cost of living.
Because the federal minimum is not adjusted to reflect the loss in dollar value due to inflation "each year it becomes more difficult for low-wage workers to make ends meet," their letter said.
This increases demands for charities' services and reliance on social safety nets by the workers in order to meet the needs of their growing family.
According to research, they said, about 73 percent of those who receive public benefits come from working families.
They underscored the point raised by Saint John Paul II when he issued a statement saying that "society and State must ensure wage levels adequate for the maintenance of the worker and his family, including a certain amount for savings. This requires a continuous effort to improve workers' training and capability so that their work will be more skilled and productive, as well as careful controls and adequate legislative measures to block shameful forms of exploitation, especially to the disadvantage of the most vulnerable workers. . . (Centesimus Annus, no. 15)."
"Protecting low-wage workers and promoting their ability to form and nurture families are shared responsibilities and critical to building a more equitable society," they said. "One way Congress can contribute to this shared work of promoting the common good is by ensuring the federal minimum wage promotes family formation and stability."
