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We at the Universal Living Wage recognize the important symbiotic relationship between employer and employee. Each needs the other. Employers need workers who are willing, stable, and motivated while employees need basic housing and core necessities. In order to honor budgetary concerns of businesses, non-profits, and governmental entities, we have provided a ten year “transition period” for the initiation of this project. (See legislative button on website.) We believe that when it is fully explained to them, businesses, non-profits, and governmental entities alike will fully embrace our basic moral premise. . . that anyone working a 40 hour week should be able to afford basic rental housing. However, we recognize that not every entity can immediately pay a Universal Living Wage. To this end, we are encouraging these organizations that embrace our basic moral premise to: 1) officially endorse the concept, and then 2) pledge to work over the next few years to bring employee wages in line with the Universal Living Wage formula relative to their locality. Additionally, as we encourage business, non-profits, and governmental entities to begin to adjust their budgets, we must acknowledge employers who already provide health care and dental benefits for their workers. To this end, we recognize the value of these benefits to the employee in the amount of $1.00/hour for each benefit provided. For example, the Universal Living Wage required for a worker to afford an one-bedroom apartment in Austin, TX in the year 2006 was $12.65/hour. An employer providing health care benefits would be aligned with the ULW formula by paying only $11.65/hour. Should that same employer provide both health care and dental care then the base UL wage would be $10.65/hour. Remember that part of the Universal Living Wage formula is based on the Federal Guideline that no one should spend more than 30% of their income on housing. This means that the balance of the wage is available to address other basic needs such as trips to the hospital emergency room. If the employer provides a health care benefit or other kinds of basic securities than that should be reflected in the total picture. Below is the PLEDGE that we have provided to those organizations who embrace the Universal Living Wage and yet presently are unable to pay the wage but who have committed to work toward paying a Universal Living Wage over the next few years.
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We, the undersigned business/organization/ entity, believe that all employees should minimally earn a wage rate that ensures that they are able to afford basic rental housing in whatever city or rural area where that work is done throughout the United States. Our business/organization/entity supports and pledges to work during the next few years to bring our payroll/ wage rate in line with the standards of the Universal Living Wage Campaign. |
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Owner/ CEO/ Mayor_________________________________________ |
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Date________________ |
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Enlightened
Market Endorsements
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Pledge
Date
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Projected
ULW Enactment Date
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| City of Austin, TX |
May 2002
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July
2002
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National Endorsements |
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"We
need to work with businesses to get businesses in San Antonio," said the
president of the San Antonio Restaurant Association. "Let's say for instance
that Houston does not have a living wage and San Antonio does, and the
PGA says, 'I can go to Houston and get these incentives to come, and I'm
not forced to pay this living wage.' So what's going to happen? Where
are they going to go? They're going to go to Houston.
"The federal minimum wage establishes a balance. It's all industries. It's nationwide. So there's a balance...." -- As reported in the San Antonio Express News 9/29/02 by Michelle Koivin |
| January 15, 2004 |
Henry Ford thought of it first...A Living Wage makes sense. |
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The Universal
Living Wage Campaign has released a short white paper on the ULW effects
on business and taxpayers.
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Henry Ford,
the father of the automobile, was facing exorbitant retraining costs due
to high employee turnover. He was being forced to replace every employee
4 times per year. He also found that absenteeism was at an equally unacceptable
level. His response was to almost double the daily wage of his base workers
to $5.00/hour.
The immediate result was: |
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Furthermore,
he created a true economic
stimulus resulting in a business boom for his own company when his workers
put discretionary funds right back into his company as purchasing consumers.
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*All of these
savings/benefits are possible today with the enactment of the Universal
Living Wage.
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| To read
more, go to our white paper, ULW Effect on Business and Taxpayers. |
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Compendium of the Social Doctrine
of the Church
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| Chapter 3 The Human Person and Human Rights |
| V. The Rights
of Workers b. The right to fair remuneration and income distribution |
| 302. Remuneration is the most important means for achieving justice in work relationships. 659 |
| The “just wage is the legitimate fruit of work.” 660 They commit grave injustice who refuse to pay a just wage or who do not give it in due time... and in proportion to the work done (cf. Lv 19:13; Dt 24:14-15; Jas 5:4). |
| The simple agreement between employee and employer with regard to the amount of pay to be received is not sufficient for the agreed-upon salary to qualify as a “just wage,” because a just wage “must not be below the level of subsistence” 662 of the worker: Natural justice precedes and is above the freedom of the contract. |
| 303. An equitable distribution of income is to be sought on the basis of criteria not merely of commutative justice but also of social justice that is, considering, beyond the objective value of the work rendered, the human dignity of the subjects who perform it. |
| Footnotes: |
| 659 Cf John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Laborem Exercens, 19:AAS 73 (1981), 625-629. |
| 660 Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2435; cf. Pius XI, Encyclical Letter Quadragesimo Anno: AAS 23 (1931), 198-202: “The Just Wage” is the title of Chapter Four (nos. 65-76) of Part Two. |
| 662 Leo XIII, Encyclical Letter Rerun Novarum: Acta Leonis XIII, 11 (1892), 131. |
"5. The Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers" |
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"The economy
must serve people, not the other way around. Work is more than a way to
make a living; it is a form of continuing participation in God's creation.
If the dignity of work is to be protected, then the basic rights of workers
must be respected the right to productive work, to decent and fair wages,
to organize and join unions, to private property, and to economic initiative."
Excerpt from Sharing Catholic Social Teaching: Seven Key Themes of Catholic Social Teaching which can be found at www.usccb.org from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops |
"7. Dignity of Work""Work is an extension of the person, his/her gifts, talents, and education. It provides a person with an opportunity to contribute to the common good. Work should enhance the human person, not demean him/her for less noble motives. People should be able to earn a living wage with adequate benefits and be employed in good working conditions. Through work people participate in the social and economic order."from the Network: A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby website www.networklobby.org "So I will come near to you for judgment. I will be quick to testify against sorcerers, adulterers and perjurers against those who defraud laborers of their wages, who oppress the widows and the fatherless, and deprive aliens of justice, but do not fear me," says the Lord Almighty. from OT: Malachi 3:5 |
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by Universal Living Wage
PO Box 2312, Austin, TX 78768. All rights reserved.
This page last updated
May 21, 2008. Thank you for visiting
