Wage Justice!

The most viewed opinion column in yesterday's Washington Post online was "A Nadir of U.S. Power," an op-ed by Sebastian Mallaby that offers a swift analysis of the decline of U.S. power and political efficacy nationally and internationally. While I am wont to agree with Mallaby's grim indictment, I must correct him on one vital point. He writes, "The left and right are pushing policies that are marginal to the country's problems . . . the left wants to raise the minimum wage, even though this can only help a minority of workers." Raising the minimum wage is not a left or right issue, Mr. Mallaby!

A recent Pew Research Center poll revealed that 83 percent of the general public approves of minimum wage hikes, including 72 percent of Republicans. In fact, the Republican governors of both California and Arkansas approved minimum wage increases in their states this year, thus affirming the wide appeal of living wages. Clearly, this issue cuts across divisive party lines because it addresses the reprehensible reality of poverty in America -- men and women who labor 40+ hours a week in minimum wage jobs, but still cannot afford to feed their families, much less pay for health care or adequate housing.

UUSC's Wage Justice initiative is mobilizing UUs across the country to promote raising the wage, in partnership with Let Justice Roll, a nationwide coalition of more than 80 faith, labor, and community organizations working for living wages. Raising the minimum wage is, ultimately, a question of values -- the basic belief that work should be rewarded fairly, and that "a job should keep you out of poverty, not keep you in it."

An estimated 14.9 million workers would benefit from raising the wage nationwide, or 11 percent of the workforce. While it will not directly affect everyone, raising the minimum wage will give our poorest citizens, those in the bottom 40 percent of the income distribution, a handle to pull themselves and their families out of poverty. In the words of longtime minimum wage proponent Sen. Ted Kennedy, "Raising the minimum wage is a women's issue, a family issue, and a racial justice issue."