Let Justice Roll

Pastor Fighting Poverty

By Phil Anderson
Topeka Capital-Journal (Kansas), 9/28/06

If efforts to raise the minimum wage in Kansas are to be effective, they must involve an "unholy trinity" of faith, community and labor-based organizations, the Rev. Paul Sherry said Wednesday evening in Topeka.

Sherry, 72, is director of the Let Justice Roll Living Wage Campaign, a Cleveland-based organization active across the nation in promoting legislation to increase the minimum wage at the state and federal levels.

On Wednesday, Sherry spoke to a group of about 20 religious and labor leaders at Central Congregational United Church of Christ, 1248 S.W. Buchanan. His appearance, designed to gauge interest in a campaign to raise the minimum wage in Kansas, was sponsored by Mainstream Voices of Faith, a clergy-based group in Topeka.

Sherry, the former president of the United Church of Christ denomination, said the federal minimum wage has been stuck at $5.15 an hour since 1997. In Kansas, some workers make as little as $2.65 an hour.

"The issue is very severe," Sherry said. "It's a travesty."

Let Justice Roll, a nonpartisan organization, has backed off pushing for federal legislation to increase the minimum wage, focusing its efforts instead at the state level.

Efforts could resume at the federal level after the November elections. Sherry noted that Democratic leaders already have stated their intention to raise the federal minimum wage to $7.25 an hour over a two-year period if they win the House and Senate.

Sherry said Let Justice Roll has seen some success in its efforts, particularly in West Virginia, Michigan, Arkansas, North Carolina, Florida and New Mexico. The organization also active in Ohio, Arizona, Colorado, Missouri, Montana, Pennsylvania and Tennessee.

Initiatives to raise the minimum wage are on the November ballots in several states.

"We think we have a chance to win in four or five states," he said, "although the opposition will intensify as the election nears."

Sherry said polls show support for increasing the minimum wage crosses partisan lines, including among Republican, Democrats and independents. People see minimum wage as a moral issue, he said.

Opposition tends to come from the business and corporate sector, he said, though that, too, is beginning to change.

Many business leaders have come on board to raise the minimum wage, he said.

Charges that raising the minimum wage would increase unemployment or cause some businesses to go under largely have proven untrue, he said.

"Living wage" ordinances have been enacted in some cities, Sherry said, though they usually affect only a select group: city employees and businesses that contract with the city, for instance.

In Kansas, Sherry said, a coalition would need to decide what the appropriate minimum wage should be, then work to convince lawmakers to take action. Some states have increased the minimum wage in the $6-plus category.

Sherry cautioned against seeking too high a minimum wage but also said the coalition "shouldn't sell itself short" when approaching legislators.

A key component is a collaborative effort in which various groups work together for the same goal.

Saying "we never go alone," Let Justice Roll has formed partnerships with more than 80 faith, community and labor organizations.

After the meeting, several clergy stayed to visit with Sherry and express their interest in taking action.

Sherry Triggs, pastor of Central Congregational Church, said she believed clergy attending the meeting supported the concept of raising the minimum wage in Kansas.

"He's right when he said many churches know it's the right thing to do - they just don't know the right steps to take," Triggs said. "This gives them an opportunity to do that.

"This is not a political issue. We can take the politics out of it. This is important for our fellow man."

The Rev. Trudy Cretsinger, of Trinity Lutheran Church, said the fact the minimum wage hasn't seen an increase in 10 years "pretty much says it's time."

"What hasn't gone up in the last 10 years, except the minimum wage?" she said. "It's a moral issue. It's about fairness. People work. They need to get paid."

Jim Cox, another program attendee, represented the Plumbers and Pipefitters Local Union 441.

"There's some good ideas and there's some good people here," he said. "The idea, I believe, is to get people to come together and make it work. As long as we're separated, nothing will be gained."

Phil Anderson can be reached at (785) 295-1195 or phil.anderson@cjonline.com.