I am deeply troubled by the president's decision to suspend the Davis-Bacon Act in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The Davis-Bacon Act requires federal contractors to pay workers the average or "prevailing" regional wage for public construction projects. In New Orleans, that wage is just over $9 an hour. The act's suspension allows contractors to pay as little as $5.15 an hour - the current federal minimum wage - for these projects.
Workers who lost everything in the rising waters cannot be expected to support their families on $5.15 an hour. As these women and men begin to rebuild their lives and their communities, they desperately need a just wage from their government, not a pay cut. As a person of faith, I believe that every person has the right to productive work and to fair compensation for that work. Today I wrote a letter urging my member of Congress to sign on to legislation reinstating the wage protections enshrined in the Davis-Bacon Act. Two hundred representatives and 30 senators have already signed on. These numbers are encouraging, but they are not enough. Please join me by calling on your member of Congress to support the "Fair Wages for Hurricane Victims Act." The people of the Gulf Coast are counting on us. Click here and urge Congress to reinstate fair wages for Gulf Coast workers: http://go.sojo.net/campaign/fair_wages?rk=Ddq6V651WXdUW *********************************** Powered by GetActive Software, Inc. Relationship Management for Member Organizations (tm) http://www.getactive.com *********************************** _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
