Ohio:
More than 65 Living Wage Days Events and Counting
Also see Campaign
events, training, volunteers
Contact Let
Justice Roll Organizer Katy Heins
Across Ohio, Let Justice Roll Ohio volunteers
participated in over 65 events ranging from faith
services to community events around the Martin
Luther King Jr. holiday, January 14-16, 2006.
Locations included Akron, Athens, Cincinnati,
Cleveland, Columbus, Marietta, Toledo and more.
Our primary focus was signature gathering in order
to raise Ohio’s minimum wage from $4.25
to $6.85. An estimated 5,000 signatures were gathered
during Living Wage Days.
 |
 |
In
the words of Rev. Tim Ahrens of First Congregational
Church in Columbus, “There is a silent hurricane
hitting Ohio. The name of that hurricane is Poverty.
The path of the storm is directly striking a growing
number of men, women and children who suffer from
the effects of Poverty’s injustice. As a
person of faith and a religious leader in Ohio,
I am deeply concerned about the effects of poverty
on low-wage workers.”
Rev.
Paula Jackson of Church of Our Saviour in Cincinnati
challenged Ohioans, “If we wish to honor
Dr. King’s message, we must go beyond the
obvious benefits of multicultural learning and
diversity initiatives. We must go deeper to the
roots of inequity. As Dr. King noted, the economic
injustice of poverty transcends race; but it also
reflects and fuels the harsh reality of racism
in our society.”
Let
Justice Roll Ohio, partnering with Ohioans
for a Fair Minimum Wage, is working on
a ballot initiative for November 2006. Our initiative,
if passed by the voters, would increase Ohio’s
minimum wage to $6.85 per hour beginning January
1, 2007 -- increased annually thereafter to keep
pace with inflation. We are currently gathering
the 322,000 signatures needed to place the initiative
on the ballot. We welcome your support!
John
Edwards and MLK legacy enlisted in push to raise
Ohio's minimum wage, Gongwer
News Service, 1/20/06
Rev.
Paula M. Jackson, op-ed, King's
vision of adequate wages for all workers,
Cincinnati Enquirer, 1/16/06; Cincinnati
Post, 1/13/06
Rep.
Sherrod Brown, Put
Martin Luther King on the Ballot this November,
1/16/06
The
Minimum We Can Do, Cincinnati City Beat,
1/4/06
|
