PC(USA) Joins other Faith Groups in Supporting Minimum Wage Increase

March 5, 2013

Dear Member of Congress,

As communities of faith united by our common religious traditions and values of justice and compassion, we write to you today to urge you to co-sponsor and support the Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2013 recently introduced by Senator Tom Harkin and Representative George Miller.

This important piece of legislation would raise the federal minimum wage from $7.25 to $10.10 in three increments of 95 cents. The bill would also provide for annual increases indexed to inflation to keep pace with the rising cost of living. Lastly, for the first time in 22 years, the Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2013 would raise the minimum wage for tipped workers from its current low rate of $2.13 by 95 cents per year until it is 70% of the regular minimum wage.

Four years have passed since the official end of the recession, yet workers across the country continue to struggle with a sluggish recovery. Now is the time to raise the federal minimum wage. According to the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), 30 million workers would see a boost to their income if this bill passed. In addition, the Fair Minimum Wage Act would boost GDP by $33 billion and generate 140,000 new jobs, encouraging workers to spend more money in their communities and stimulate local economies.

Our common scriptures present a vision of shared responsibility, commanding that we care for the vulnerable among us and also endows the notion of work with an inherent dignity. Right now, it is imperative that our nation’s leaders keep our economy on the pathway to a healthy recovery and support low-wage workers. We believe you can do so by co-sponsoring and supporting the Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2013.

To sign on as a co-sponsor please contact Celine McNicholas (Celine.McNicholas@mail.house.gov) in Representative Miller’s office or Liz Weiss (Liz_Weiss@help.senate.gov) in Senator Harkin’s office.

Sincerely,

American Friends Service Committee
Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice (CLUE-LA)
Cincinnati Interfaith Committee for Worker Justice (CICWJ)
Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)
Detroit Interfaith Worker Justice
Disciples Justice Action Network
The Episcopal Church
Friends Committee on National Legislation
Greater New York Labor-Religion Coalition
Interfaith Worker Justice
Jewish Council for Public Affairs
The Jewish Labor Committee
Jewish Women International
Leadership Conference on Women Religious (LCWR)
Let Justice Roll
National Advocacy center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd
National Council of Jewish Women
NETWORK, A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby
Office of Social Justice of the Christian Reformed Church
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
Sisters of Mercy Institute Justice Team
South Florida Interfaith Worker Justice
Union for Reform Judaism
Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations
United Church of Christ Justice and Witness Ministries
The United Methodist Church- General Board of Church and Society
U.S. Jesuit Conference

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VAWA Reauthorization Moves to the President's Desk

Last Thursday, Feb. 28, the House of Representatives passed S. 47, a strong, inclusive bill to reauthorize the landmark Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), by a vote of 286-138.  The same bill was passed by the Senate just weeks before with a vote of 78-22. As you see, both of these votes included a strong, bipartisan showing.  This just goes to show that there are still some issues that unite us across party lines.

The VAWA reauthorization now moves to the President’s desk for signature.  President Obama is expected to sign the bill on Thursday, March 7. 

Thank you for all of your hard work to make this happen!  Please take a minute to thank your Members of Congress for this important legislation that will provide new resources and support for victims of violence.

Thank the House!

Thank the Senate!

VAWA Background:

Since its original passage in 1994, the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) has dramatically enhanced our nation’s response to violence against girls and women, boys and men. More victims report domestic violence to the police and the rate of non-fatal intimate partner violence against women has decreased by 64%.  VAWA provides for a coordinated community approach, improving collaboration between law enforcement and victim services providers to better meet the needs of victims. These comprehensive and cost-effective programs not only save lives, they also save money. In fact, VAWA saved nearly $12.6 billion in net averted social costs in just its first six years.

VAWA’s programs support state, tribal, and local efforts to address the pervasive and insidious crimes of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking.  These programs have made great progress towards reducing the violence, helping victims to be healthy and feel safe and holding perpetrators accountable.  This critical legislation must be reauthorized to ensure a continued response to these crimes.  This particular reauthorization of VAWA also included important new provisions to improve protection and support for native women, immigrants, LGBT victims, and campus women.  Click here for more information about the new Violence Against Women Act.

And in addition to the success of an inclusive VAWA, the final bill also included the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA) (S. 1301), a positive bill that is the United States’ most important tool in fighting against human trafficking and modern-day slavery.  For a factsheet on S.1301, click here. 

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Support Reconciliation with Cuba - Sign the Petition to Take Cuba off the State Supporters of Terrorism List

Support Reconciliation with Cuba - Sign the Petition to Take Cuba off the State Supporters of Terrorism List From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view; even though we once knew Christ from a human point of view, we know him no longer in that way. So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us. So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ to be reconciled to God. (II Corinthians 5: 16-20) “We, Protestant, Episcopal and Orthodox church leaders from the United States and from the ecumenical movement in Cuba, and members of both councils of churches, begin this joint statement by giving thanks for signs of God’s reconciling presence in our deeply-divided world. One such sign, we believe, is the history of mutually–nurturing relationships between our churches. We give thanks, not only for God’s presence in the past, but also for God’s promises for a different future — a future in which reconciliation proves stronger than alienation (e.g., Isaiah 65:25). With this in mind, we declare the following shared conviction: that the half century of animosity between our countries must end.” From “The National Council of the Churches of Christ (U.S.A.)and The Council of Churches of Cuba Joint Statement” – December 2011 Now is the time for the United States to show its sincerity in pursuing a path toward improved relations with Cuba. It’s long overdue that we join the rest of the world in recognizing that Cuba is not a threat, but rather a potential partner in the western hemisphere. And if not a partner, then at least not an adversary. Cuba says it is ready and willing to move in that direction and the majority of U.S. citizens want to engage with Cuba.   You can help move the White House in the direction of improved relations. Sign our petition asking the President to remove Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism. Play a part in making this happen. We want to exceed 25,000 signatures; and that will take many of us encouraging our friends, family, and colleagues to add their names to the petition. Will you help reach this ambitious goal? Sign and share now. Why Cuba shouldn’t be on this list: • Cuba is not a State Sponsor of Terrorism. State sponsors of terrorism are governments that provide logistical, financial, or political support to groups that carry out terrorist attacks on civilians. Cuba does not. • Cuba has made international commitments to combat terrorism. Cuba has ratified all 12 international counterterrorism conventions, and Cuba has offered to sign a bilateral agreement with the United States on counterterrorism. • Cuba is a sponsor of the Colombian peace talks. Cuba is playing a constructive, mediating role (one recognized and lauded by the Colombian government) in peace talks between the FARC guerrillas and the Colombian government. • Cuba collaborates with the United States in counter-drug efforts.  Together, we interdict narcotics shipments in the Caribbean, and the United States government acknowledges (even lauds) this cooperation. And, this is why the United States should take Cuba off the list: • Keeping Cuba on the list weakens the credibility of the entire list. • Removing Cuba from the terrorist list would send a positive signal to all Latin American governments . . . and could well improve the image of the United States in the western hemisphere. • The President can do it without Congress. • Other countries have been removed from the terrorist list; it is possible. Iraq was removed in 1982 and again in 2004 (after having been re-assigned to the list). Libya was removed in 2006. North Korea was removed in 2008.  South Yemen was removed in 1990 (after it merged with North Yemen). Cuba does not belong on this list, and it is in U.S. interests to remove Cuba from the list. Do it now. Sign the petition and then share, share, share. We want to make as big of an impact as possible, and that can’t happen without you. General Assembly Policy The 212th General Assembly (2000) Urged “the agencies, governing bodies, and members of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) to continue to advocate and support measures to end the U.S. embargo and restore normal diplomatic relations with Cuba as consistently advocated by General Assemblies over many years, and particularly to support measures to exempt food, medicine, and medical supplies from the existing embargo and remove restrictions on travel between the United States and Cuba.”

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World Week for Peace in Palestine Israel

22 - 28 September 2013

"Pray, educate, and advocate for justice in Palestine"

An initiative of the Palestine Israel Ecumenical Forum (PIEF) of the World Council of Churches

 

The Palestine Israel Ecumenical Forum (PIEF) of the World Council of Churches invites member churches, faith-based communities, and civil society organizations to join together in 2013 for a week of advocacy and action in support of an end to the illegal occupation of Palestine and a just peace for all in Palestine and Israel.  Congregations and individuals around the globe who share the hope of justice shall unite during the week to take peaceful actions, together, to create a common international public witness.

The theme of the week in 2013 is:  "Jerusalem, the city of justice and peace."

As part of the most recent World Week for Peace in Palestine Israel, from 28 May to 3 June 2012, churches in at least 25 countries around the world sent a clear signal to policy-makers, community groups, and their own parishes about the urgent need for a peace settlement that ends the illegal occupation and secures the legitimate rights and future of both peoples.

During World Week for Peace 2013, participants will organize and join in events and activities around the following three principles:

1. Praying with churches living under occupation, using a special prayer from Jerusalem and other worship resources prepared for the week.
2. Educating about actions that make for peace, and about facts on the ground that do not create peace, especially issues related to the city of Jerusalem.
3. Advocating with political leaders using ecumenical policies that promote peace with justice.

This annual observance of a week of prayer, education, and advocacy calls participants to work for an end to the illegal occupation of Palestine, so that Palestinians and Israelis can finally live in peace. It has been more than 64 years since the partition of Palestine hardened into a permanent nightmare for Palestinians. It is now more than 45 years since the occupation of East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza overwhelmed the peaceful vision of one land, two peoples.

Yet the dream of one nation cannot be fulfilled at the expense of another.

The action week's message is that now:

• It's time for Palestinians and Israelis to share a just peace.
• It's time for freedom from occupation.
• It's time for equal rights.
• It's time for the healing of wounded souls.

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2013 Economic and Ecological Way of the Cross

Each year preceding Easter, Christian communities around the world gather in public places to recreate the story of Jesus’ passion. The observance of the Passion is an opportunity to reflect on the ways we have broken our covenant with God at the expense of other persons and creation. In the suffering of the earth & its creatures, we have crucified Divinity in our midst.
In dramatic public liturgies, we remember who we are as people of faith and why we believe that even the greatest of evils will not have the last word.
For over 15 years, Christian communities across the Washington D.C. area  have  gathered on Good Friday for a Way of the Cross among D.C. institutions.  At each station we  focus on a different economic or ecological challenge or sign of hope for our times.
The Economic and Ecological Way of the Cross Script was prepared this year by the Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns with support from other planning organizations. We will be using this version in Washington D.C. on Good Friday, March 29, 2013, beginning at noon at First St. NW and Constitution Ave. NW near the Capitol Building. If you’re in the area, please join us. We encourage local communities to edit and use this resource in your own geographical context. Also see the Faith Economy Ecology Resource page to download a copy.

For more resources go to http://faitheconomyecology.wordpress.com/2013/03/04/2013-economic-and-ecological-way-of-the-cross/ 

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Debt Trial of the Century: 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals to Rule on Vulture Funds and Argentine Bonds

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 27, 2013

Contact:  Jennifer Tong, Communications Director

jennifer@jubileeusa.org / (m) (320) 241-7082 / (o) (202) 543-0692

Arguments End in ‘Debt Trial of the Century’

2^ndCircuit Court of Appeals to Rule on Vulture Funds and Argentine Bonds

NEW YORK – Arguments concluded today for Argentina and two holdout vulture funds, including Paul Singer’s NML Capital. The Financial Times dubbed the proceeding the “‘the trial of the century’ in sovereign debt restructuring.” Jubilee USA Network’s Executive Director, Eric LeCompte observed the legal proceedings. Jubilee USA held a vigil outside the courthouse for poor people that are affected by vulture funds.

“Judges at the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals will issue their ruling in the coming weeks.  We pray that they will side with the people of Argentina, the US Government and the world’s poorest people,” said Eric LeCompte, Jubilee USA Network Executive Director.

NML Capital bought Argentine debt in 2001 cheaply when Argentina defaulted.  Argentina restructured with some of their creditors but holdout creditors, led by NML, rejected the proposal and sued for the full amount.  Vulture funds buy the debt of poor countries or countries in financial recovery for pennies on the dollar and then sue to make as much as a 400% profit off the backs of the poor. Jubilee USA Network introduced legislation in 2009 to stop vulture funds from making a profit off of poor countries. 

The US Government filed a friend-of-the-court brief noting a ruling against Argentina could make it much harder for countries in financial recovery or countries facing economic stresses to access credit and debt swaps.  The International Monetary Fund and World Bank assert that vulture funds negatively impact debt relief and restructuring efforts in poor countries.

“Vulture funds such as NML Capital speculate on the misfortune of countries and saddle developing countries with huge debt loads, depriving them of valuable financial resources badly needed for domestic development and growth,” said Bhumika Muchhala from the Third World Network, an independent network of organizations focused on developing countries.

In June, these same vulture funds supported legislation in the New York State Senate and Assembly which would have allowed the funds to continue to litigate even after post-court judgment.  Jubilee USA Network came out against the legislation by mobilizing 4,000 supporters in NY to write, e-mail and call their State Assembly and Senate Members. With American Jewish World Service, Jubilee USA put enough pressure on the New York legislative bodies to stop the legislation from coming to a vote.

In October, the vulture funds were able to convince Ghanaian Courts to temporarily seize an Argentine ship. The ship was eventually returned to Argentina. Then this past November, the vulture funds made a pari passu or parity argument in the US District Court and the court ruled in favor of the vulture holdout creditors. Argentina was ordered to pay $1.3 billion on December 15, the same date they were to pay the creditors that had restructured. The federal appeals court froze the payout and heard new arguments today in the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York.  A ruling is expected in the coming weeks.

“If the judges rule in favor of these hedge funds, it will mean these funds will more aggressively target poor countries in fragile financial recovery.  If they rule with Argentina, it will mean that it will be harder for these types of funds to exploit countries in financial distress.  The actions of NML Capital and Aurelius Capital hurt legitimate investors and poor people,” said LeCompte.

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Jubilee USA Network is an alliance of more than 75 US organizations, 250 faith communities and 50 Jubilee global partners.  Jubilee USA Network has won critical global financial reforms and more than $130 billion in debt relief for the world’s poorest countries.  www.jubileeusa.org

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Thanks for your Activism on VAWA

Office of Public Witness Director, J. Herbert Nelson, sent out this message minutes after the House passed the bipartisan, inclusive, Senate-passed Violence Against Women Act.  Congratulations!

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Dear Friends:

We give thanks to God for what seemed at times such an easy decision to make, finally become manifest before our eyes. (See article below) Truly, God is still on the throne and guides the work of our office and the policy of our denomination. This is a victory worth celebrating!

Thank you for your support through responding to action alerts; writing letters, making calls, voting for rich denominational policy and bugging in love our elected officials.

We ask you to pray that God continue to bless our justice advocacy work in Washington while supporting your activism on the ground. It would not have been done without you. Please alert your networks.

In the faith we share,

J. Herbert

J. Herbert Nelson, II

Director of  the Office of Public Witness

Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)

Compassion, Peace and Justice Ministries

100 Maryland Avenue, NE Suite 410

Washington, DC 20002

phone (202) 543-1126, ext. 231

fax (202) 543-7755

www.pcusa.org/washington

http://officeofpublicwitness.blogspot.com/2012/03/presbyterian-church-u.html

http://www.facebook.com/PCUSAWashington

From the Washington Post:

Congress passes, sends to president, billrenewing Violence Against Women Act

By Associated Press, Updated: Thursday, February 28, 12:31 PM

WASHINGTON — The House on Thursday passed and sent to President Barack Obama a far-reaching extension of the Violence Against Women Act. The vote came after House Republican leaders, cognizant of divisions in their own ranks and the need to improve their faltering image among women voters, accepted a bill that cleared the Senate two weeks ago on a strong bipartisan vote.

The bill renews a 1994 law that has set the standard for how to protect women, and some men, from domestic abuse and prosecute abusers. Thursday’s 286-138 vote came after House lawmakers rejected a more limited approach offered by Republicans.

It was the third time this year that House Speaker John Boehner has allowed Democrats and moderates in his own party prevail over the GOP’s much larger conservative wing. As with a Jan. 1 vote to avoid the fiscal cliff and legislation to extend Superstorm Sandy aid, a majority of House Republicans voted against the final anti-violence bill.

The law has been renewed twice before without controversy, but it lapsed in 2011 as it was caught up in the partisan battles that now divide Congress. Last year, the House refused to go along with a Senate-passed bill that would have made clear that lesbians, gays, immigrants and Native American women should have equal access to Violence Against Women Act programs.

It appeared the scenario would be repeated this year when the House introduced a bill that didn’t mention the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community and watered down a Senate provision allowing tribal courts to prosecute non-Indians who attack their Indian partners on tribal lands.

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., who has spent months working on the issue, defended the Republican plan: “Our goal in strengthening the Violence Against Women Act is simple. We want to help all women who are faced with violent, abusive and dangerous situations. ... We want them to know that those who commit these horrendous crimes will be punished.”

But the House proposal encountered quick and strong opposition from women’s groups, the White House, Democrats and some Republicans, and on Tuesday, the GOP leadership agreed to give the House a vote on the Senate bill. It passed immediately after the House rejected Cantor’s bill, 257-166, with 60 Republicans voting against it.

The GOP decision to show the white flag came after the party’s poor showing among women in last fall’s election and Democratic success in framing the debate over the Violence Against Women Act as Republican policy hostile to women. President Barack Obama won 55 percent of the women’s vote last November. Republican presidential candidates haven’t won the women’s vote since 1984, when Ronald Reagan held a 12-point lead over Walter Mondale among women.

The anti-violence bill should never have become partisan, said Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., a sponsor of the Senate bill. “That is why I applaud moderate Republican voices in the House who stood up to their leadership to demand a vote on the Senate bill.”

The Senate passed its bill on a 78-22 vote with every Democrat, every woman senator and 23 of 45 Republicans supporting it.

A turning point in the debate came earlier this month, when 19 Republicans, led by Rep. Jon Runyan, R-N.J., wrote a letter to their leadership urging them to accept a bipartisan plan that would reach all victims of domestic violence. The letter, Runyan said, was a catalyst in showing the leadership “a willingness of people in the House to really compromise” and see that the Senate “has a pretty good bill.”

Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., a Native American, also wrote his Republican colleagues saying he was voting against the House alternative because “it falls short of giving tribes what they need to keep their women safe.”

Indian women suffer incidents of domestic violence at rates more than double national averages, but Indian courts don’t have jurisdiction over non-Indians, and federal prosecutors don’t take up about half the violence cases on reservations because of lack of resources to pursue crimes on isolated Indian lands. The Senate bill would give Indian courts the ability to prosecute non-Indians for a limited set of crimes limited to domestic violence and violations of protecting orders. Opponents have said that raises constitutional issues.

The Violence Against Women Act is credited with helping reduce domestic violence incidents by two-thirds over the past two decades. The Senate bill would authorize some $659 million a year over five years to fund current programs that provide grants for transitional housing, legal assistance, law enforcement training and hotlines.

The Senate bill adds stalking to the list of crimes that make immigrants eligible for protection and authorizes programs dealing with sexual assault on college campuses and with efforts to reduce the backlog in rape kit analyses. It reauthorizes the Trafficking Victims Protection Act.

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