People of faith have spoken in support of living wage. There is a wide range of church support for living wage:
United Methodist Church
The Social Principles assert, “Every person has the right to a job at a living wage.” (¶163, The Book of Discipline 2004)
Presbyterian Church (USA)
The Social Creed of 1908 asserts, “For a living wage as a minimum in every industry, and for the highest wage that every industry can afford.”
The proposed Social Creed for the 21st Century asserts, “Employment for all, at a family-sustaining living wage.”
Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations
The 1995 General Resolution A Job, A Home, A Hope states that, “the Unitarian Universalist Association urges its member congregations and individual Unitarian Universalists to work to ensure that every member of our society has the opportunity for the creation of more jobs paying living wages …”
Episcopal Church
In 2006, the 75th General Convention asserted, “That the 75th General Convention support actively the right of workers to form a union, and increase the support in our cities and states for passage of “living wage” legislation.”
Southern Baptist Convention
An SBC resolution on labor states, “That we recognize the right of labor to organize and to engage in collective bargaining to the end that labor may have a fair and living wage, such as will provide not only for the necessities of life but for recreation, pleasure and culture.”
Roman Catholic Church
In the encyclical Mater et Magistra, Pope John XXIII responded to that claim and proclaimed that a living wage was clearly a justice issue: “We therefore consider it our duty to reaffirm that the remuneration of work is not something that can be left to the laws of the marketplace; nor should it be a decision left to the will of the more powerful. It must be determined in accordance with justice and equity; which means that workers must be paid a wage which allows them to live a truly human life and to fulfill their family obligations in a worthy manner.”
In their 1986 letter, Economic Justice for All, the U.S. Catholic bishops reaffirmed that payment of just wages is the initial step in combating poverty, “The first line of attack against poverty must be to build and sustain a healthy economy that provides employment opportunities at just wages for all adults who are able to work.”
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
The social statement Sufficient, Sustainable Livelihood for All states, “We commit ourselves as a church and urge members to … advocate for public and private policies that effectively address the causes of poverty and generously support community-based efforts that enable low-income people to obtain more sufficient, sustainable livelihoods.”
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
The General Assembly in 2005 affirmed, “that the members of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) support movements that address the living wage and cooperate with workers, employers, labor unions, and organizations that are working to affirm workers’ dignity.”
