Jews United for Justice Organize DC residents in Campaign for a Living Wage

Momentum builds with Labor on the Bimah, Ward 5 Canvass

WASHINGTON, DC.: Jews United for Justice (JUFJ), a ground-breaking Jewish social justice organization focusing on local issues, has spent the summer organizing DC residents in support of living wage legislation.

Living wage legislation, which would require businesses doing work under contract with or subsidy from the city to pay their employees a fair wage, is scheduled for debate in the DC City Council's Committee on Government Operations in early October.

"At a time when the cost of living, particularly housing, continues to escalate, the District remains one of the only jurisdictions in the region that lacks a living wage policy for its workers," said Lenny Sapozhnikov, the chair of JUFJ's living wage campaign. "The Council should be clear that businesses that receive assistance from the public coffers have a responsibility to create jobs that pay a decent wage for District residents."

Over the last 2 months, JUFJ has engaged the Jewish community in several different types of public education to raise awareness about the living wage campaign.

In early August, JUFJ launched a Living Wage working group, which boasts 20 members, mostly in their 20s. The group has organized canvassing events in Ward 5, and partners with DC Jobs with Justice, ACORN, the DC Employment Justice Center, the DC Fiscal Policy Institute, and other community groups to organize support of living wage legislation.

As part of the 8^th annual ‘Labor on the Bimah' program, several hundred Jews at 32 congregations across the Metro Washington area discussed workers' rights and economic justice during Labor Day weekend. Several congregations featured area workers speaking about their experiences in the hotel and security guard industry; other congregations featured organizers, activists, lay leaders or their own Rabbi delivering a special d'var torah focusing on labor issues. The program kicked off officially on August 10 at Adas Israel Congregation in DC, when Rabbi Jason Kimelman-Block of PANIM represented Jewish views on a Living Wage on a panel of Christian, Muslim and Jewish leaders.

"I believe that not paying a living wage is exploiting an oppressed laborer, which is prohibited by Jewish law and tradition," said Rabbi Gerry Serotta, of Temple Shalom in Chevy Chase, specifically referring to Deuteronomy 21:14. "The Reform Movement is also clear - we support living wage policies here and around the country," said Serotta, referring to the Union of Reform Judaism's formal resolution in support of living wage ordinances.

Canvassing has also been successful at building community support for a Living Wage policy. Twenty JUFJ members have worked with partner groups to collect over 700 postcards to Councilmember Orange, pressuring him to respond to the needs of the DC residents by supporting a living wage. JUFJ volunteers have been going door-to-door in Ward 5 to build awareness about this legislation among his constituents.

"Canvassing for a decent wages really roots me in the city," said JUFJ volunteer Erin Scharff, who works in B'nai Brith International's Department of Grassroots Advocacy. "When I start talking to people about jobs, people really respond. Nobody can make ends meet on $6.60 an hour. It just doesn't add up."

The Mayor's proposal in the "Way to Work" bill calls for a wage of $10.50 an hour, or $9.25 plus health benefits. JUFJ and its campaign partners propose that the wage be set at $11.80 so that it is equitable with the prevailing living wage in the region. JUFJ and its partners also call for the wage to be indexed with inflation, and for certain loopholes to be closed.

"A few modifications would make DC's living wage even more effective and make it resemble other living wages that have been implemented across the country," Sapozhinikov said.

To advocate for these amendments, JUFJ is working to bring pressure to DC Council Member Vincent Orange (Ward 5), who is the chair of the Government Operations Committee and will be a key vote when the committee considers different versions of this legislation.

Proponents of the Living Wage can cite several studies that show the benefit of wage increases for thousands of workers, with minimal impact to business relocation or job loss. One such study , conducted by researchers at the University of California-Riverside, shows that the Los Angeles Living Wage policy has increased wages for more than 10,000 workers, and fewer than 1 per cent of affected jobs were cut.

A community meeting in Ward 5 on September 26^th, will give constituents an opportunity to learn more about the issues, and voice their support for this legislation. Council members Jim Graham, Adrian Fenty and Vincent Orange have been invited to hear from the community and share their perspectives on the DC Living Wage. The meeting will be at the Israel Baptist Church, 1251 Saratoga Ave NE, at 7pm.

Additionally, JUFJ will be sponsoring a three-part class with the Jewish Study Center, "Judaism and the Right to a Living Wage," which will explore the connection between Jewish texts and these issues. To register, contact Rachel Miller at 202-332-1221.

JUFJ has local experience waging campaigns on behalf of a living wage. In 2001, JUFJ was a leader in the campaign for a living wage in Montgomery County, a policy that eventually passed the county council in 2002. "We built considerable momentum in Montgomery County," said JUFJ board member Jim Auerbach. "It was very significant for other counties that it passed in the largest jurisdiction in Maryland."

"Taxpayer dollars should never be used to create poverty-wage jobs," said JUFJ Director Avi Rosenblit. "When our government does business, it is our role, as DC residents and as Jews, to assert a vision for the kind of city we want to live in--a city that pays its workers a decent and just wage."