No Happy Anniversary for Minimum Wage Workers July 24 ...

July 24 is the anniversary of last year’s raise in the federal minimum wage and no new increases are scheduled. The minimum wage is so low today at $7.25 an hour, says the Let Justice Roll Living Wage Campaign, that it’s lower than the minimum wage of 1956, which was $8.02 adjusted for inflation. 1956 is 54 years ago.
The minimum wage sets the wage floor, affecting workers up the ladder. Today, four out of six occupations employing the largest number of workers nationwide -- including retail salespersons, cashiers and food preparation and serving workers -- have a median wage that is lower than the minimum wage of 1968, adjusted for inflation (half make less than the median, half make more). It would take $10 to match the buying power of the minimum wage at its peak in 1968.
"The minimum wage was enacted during the Great Depression to put a floor under workers' wages and increase buying power to boost business and economic recovery," said Let Justice Roll Director Holly Sklar, author of Raise the Floor: Wages and Policies That Work for All of Us. “The fall in worker buying power is a big reason we're in the worst economic crisis since the Depression and a big reason we’re having so much trouble getting out of it.”
More is found at http://letjusticeroll.org

SOA Watch

School of the Americas Watch was recently informed that Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers, which has previous contributed $17,000 annually to SOA Watch, will not support (their) efforts for peace and justice in the Americas this year. Their decision is due to SOA Watch founder Father Roy Bourgeois' personal belief that women, as well as men, should be able to be ordained into the priesthood. http://soaw.org/component/content/article/96-mission-and-history/3466-17-for-17000

July Meeting 

Eleven members gathered in prayer and study related to the Gulf of Mexico oil well crisis.
The community approved the expenditure of $100.00 for an ad in the program booklet for the Labor Day Picnic of the Workers Interfaith Network. We will be listed as a sponsor. Two adult tickets to the picnic will be available for whoever would like to use them. Contact Jerry Bettice if you are interested or if you would like to purchase tickets or a personal sponsorship of the picnic.
A portion of the meeting was devoted to brainstorming about how to expand our membership.

August Meeting

Janice Vanderhaar and Ed Wallin will present a review of their experience at the recent national meeting of Pax Christi USA.
There will also be a commemoration of the Hiroshima anniversary during the meeting.

JustFaith Ministries
Just Faith: Recently Pax Christi USA has partnered with JustFaith Ministries, an exploration of social ministries in Catholic communities. More can be found at www.justfaith.org. JustFaith will be coming to the Diocese of Memphis in the near future.
 “Reliance on nuclear weapons for [deterrence] is becoming increasingly hazardous and decreasingly effective . . ." (Former Secretaries of State Schultz, Kissinger and others in “A World Free of Nuclear Weapons,” in the Wall Street Journal)
 Pax Christi Memphis meets on the first Tuesday of each month at Church of the Holy Spirit, 7 pm.
Contact: 327-8068 or visit us at www.paxchristimemphis.org