Faith and Community Voices Against Poverty: Let Justice Roll"
By Holly Sklar and The Rev. Dr. Paul H. Sherry
Foreword By The Rev. Dr. James A. Forbes Jr.
Free download from http://www.letjusticeroll.org

The National Council of Churches USA has created an initiative called "Faith and Community Voices Against Poverty: Let Justice Roll." The initiative seeks to educate about wage issues, mobilize individuals and groups to action, and has produced a booklet called "A Just Minimum Wage: Good for Workers, Business and Our Future." From the forward by the UCC's Dr. James Forbes:

"A Just Minimum Wage" reveals truths about poverty and work that could actually set us free from ignorance or inertia and help us see the depth of the crisis before the health of our nation is further compromised. But it does more. It helps us see that a good staring place toward a more just and decent society is finding the compassion, courage and good sense to make a national commitment to guaranteeing our working people a living wage -- for God's sake and for ours.

1. Explained the moral consequences of not addressing the issue for both the individual and society. Most resources either focus too heavily on the system or the individual, I think this document does a great job of providing relevance in both areas. The booklet presents both secular and faith-based support for supporting a living wage, serving as an educational tool while providing spiritual fulfillment and challenging a reader to grow in one's faith.

2. Not only highlighted the shortfalls of our system, but explained why these shortfalls need to be addressed and how. Some resources tend to direct all their efforts towards pointing out deplorable situations but fail to explain why readers should care about such shortfalls and how they can be fixed. "A Just Minimum Wage" does an exceptional job pointing out the institutional sins of the current system, but it also provides a moral imperative for reform and action. A reader can easily discern the goal of this document is not to tear down, but to create positive change for our entire society.

3. Contrasted the consequences of the current system and demonstrated how companies can be economically successful while having a moral conscience. Particularly interesting is the chapter on Wal-Mart's controversial labor practices compared to Costco's approach towards employees.

Overall, this document could be utilized as a vital resource in the debate over the minimum wage. It is divided up into eight short chapters, making it useful for small groups over variety of time periods.

It has the potential to have a large impact and to be a positive influence to anyone who reads it. Obviously the important thing is to get it out to the masses, into the hands of citizens wanting to be informed, get pastors and lay leaders using it, and clergy members discussing it. I would hate to see this fall the way of so many other great materials that are created but vastly underutilized.