Reply #9: interesting questions ... [View All]

[flordehinojos]

this is part of an e-mail i received from EVERY CHURCH A PEACE CHURCH
Every Church A Peace Church
on the very subject of Labor Day.

"Latest figures show that many executives make as much as 500 times that of their workers. As in the days of the Pullman executives, those with the most money have the most influence over government and media. This unfair advantage results in the repealing of hard won labor laws, designed to protect workers, and restricts workers rights to organize.

The contracts awarded to areas hard hit by Katrina last year offer an excellent example of power and worker abuse. The AshBritt company gained a $500 million contract to remove debris. This amounted to $23 a cubic yard. AshBritt sub-contracted the job to a company who bid it for $9 per cubic yard and they hired a company who charged $8. This company sub-contracted to a company who charged $7 who then hired a company who charged $3. Desperate workers did the hard work for almost nothing. When these workers are not paid for their work they have no recourse because they have no resources. In many cases they can be deported or imprisoned.

The Bible has a lot to say about work and the paying of wages. Jesus always stood with those who had no power and took to task those who did. In the United States, where the citizens elect people to make decisions in Washington, we each have a responsibility to stand with and vote for the interests of workers who are oppressed and taken advantage of. A laborer is still worthy of his wages.

Prayer: Today I pray for those who work hard and are cheated out of fair wages by those who seek outrageous wealth and power. Help me to have the courage to stand with those who are oppressed so that they too can live in dignity. Thank you that we live in a nation with a representative government where we can influence the laws which protect the least of these among us."