Did you know that 43% of U.S. citizens who live in poverty have a full-time job? The Church is concerned about the fact that many workers are paid so little. On June 25, Bishop Stephen E. Blaire (Chairman of the Committee on Domestic Justice & Human Development of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops) addressed a Senate hearing about the importance of fair wages and the dignity of work.
Half of American jobs pay less than $27,000/year and there are more than 46 million people living in poverty (16 million of them children) Bishop Blaire stated. Advocating for an increase in the minimum wage, he said, "The current minimum wage yields an annual salary of about $15,080. This amount is below the poverty level for any size family that includes even one child, according to the Census Bureau. This is unacceptable."
[http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/1302792.htm]
A concerned parishioner (and an accountant) decided to run the numbers. You may be shocked at what she found:
Working 40 hours per week at the current minimum wage of $7.25/hr, I would earn $15,080/yr.
· Because I'm doing too well for the Earned Income Credit (EIC), my federal taxes are $533, and I owe the state $490. This leaves me with $14,057 in disposable income for the entire year.
· I need a place to live. A cheap, 1-bedroom apartment in Washtenaw County costs at least $585/mo, which is $7,020/yr. (The median cost is actually $743/mo, but I'm going for bare-bones survival here, so I'll take the lower quartile according to Washtenaw County statistics. )
Before clothing, transportation, insurance, food, toiletries, utilities, or any other necessities, I now have only $7,037 for the entire year. That's a little over $135 per week. And that's a hard-working, full-time employee, with no health insurance.
· For a 34-year-old, non-smoking female with no previous health problems, the cheapest health plan costs $64/mo, which is a little under $15/wk.
· Now I'm down to $120 per week to cover toiletries (soap, feminine supplies, toilet paper, laundry, etc.), electricity (we'll pretend that gas and water are included in my rent), gas/car payments (since public transit won't get me to my job every day), meager clothes at a thrift shop, and every meal I eat. And I'd better never get sick or, heaven forbid, find out I have diabetes or cancer or anything else that requires long-term care.
These stark numbers help us understand the daily struggles faced by nearly half of American workers. As Pope Francis said, "work fills us with dignity (and) makes us similar to God…it gives one the ability to maintain oneself, one's family, to contribute to the growth of one's own nation." But this is only true of workers are paid a living wage. Join our Church leaders today in advocating for low-wage workers.
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