Yesterday, a meeting of the Tompkins County Green Party voted unanimously to join the Living Wage Coalition. Pete Meyers, who is on the steering committee for the Living Wage Coalition said "I'm proud and excited to have the Tompkins County Greens be the first political party to be part of the Living Wage Coalition; it indicates the seriousness of the Green Party's commitment to social justice." The Living Wage coalition will be holding a teach-in on Saturday, May 19 from 12 to 2 at Catholic Charities at 324 West Buffalo Street.
Living Wage Coalitions Mission Statement
1. The Tompkins County Living Wage Coalition (TCLWC) is a network of organizations, groups and concerned citizens that works for a living wage for all people in Tompkins County.
2. Realizing that the struggle for living wages is longterm and must take many shapes, the TCLWC tries to support living wage struggles and campaigns wherever and whenever they arise. These can include supporting unioninzg drives and labor negotiations in jobs where living wages are needed; passing and enforcing city- or county- wide living wage ordinances; working with socially responsible employers; supporting campaigns to raise the State and Federal minimum wage; and campaigning for a welfare system that helps people become truly self-sufficient.
3. The TCLWC supports the use of diverse strategies, whether popular education, public protests, or legislative campaigns. Rather than advocate on the behalf of working and poor people, the TCLWC endeavors to work alongside those communities to help them meet their needs and goals, and to build community leadership.
4. Because economic justic cannot be achieved without eliminating all forms of discrimination and oppression, the TCLWC opposes and works to ened all forms of discrimination and oppression both in society as well as within it's own organization.
5. Any individual, group or organization in agreement with the above principles is invited to join the TCLWC. For more info, please contact the Coalition by e-mail at tompkinscountylivingwage@yahoo.com or through Pete Meyers at 272-5062 ext 14 (via Catholic Charities.)
