Terry Cavanagh, Committee Chair
Issues That Should be Addressed in This Year’s General Assembly Session
1. Minimum Wage (a.k.a. Fight For $15). a) Moving the full implementation of the $15 minimum wage up from 2026 to 2023; b) Indexing the minimum wage and tying to increases in the Consumer Price Index (CPI), so it will not erode over years; c) Adjusting the “tip credit” which allows employers to pay substantially less than the minimum wage by using the money workers earn in tips to satisfy paying minimum wages.2. Paid Family & Medical Leave. This bill was passed over Governor Hogan’s veto last year, but requires some technical changes. Also, the cost split between employers and workers needs to be set.3. Medical Debt. Many hospitals and other health care providers have used aggressive tactics in getting payments from patients who qualify for free care. Some progress was made on this issue last year, but the End Medical Debt coalition continues to push for reforms.
Mission
We are dedicated to work to bring the Church’s social teaching on worker justice and the economy to fruition. Working as an arm of the Justice & Peace Ministry of our St. Ignatius Catholic Community, we are called and challenged to articulate, advocate and act upon critical economic issues that affect our neighbors, families, and communities across our city, and our world. We are also called to be a resource to provide parishioners with opportunities to live out their faith through working for economic justice. As such we:
- Advocate for workers to receive fair wages for their labor, including support for the “Fight For $15 and a Union” campaign at the local and national level
- Mobilize fellow parishioners around issues of economic justice
- Advocate for elimination of disparities of opportunity for students and workers based on race, ethnicity, gender or income
- Engage with our community about the need for affordable housing.
- Work to eliminate health care disparities based on race, income, gender, or geography.
- Support workers right to organize into unions of their own choosing.
- Persuade legislators to pass “Right to Recall” legislation in Baltimore, so hospitality workers can return to family-supporting jobs
- Advocate for passage of “Time to Care” legislation in Annapolis, allowing workers to maintain a sustainable level of income while they are sick or caring for a family member.
One of our goals is to deepen our understanding of the principles of Catholic social teaching and then, through word and action, integrate these principles more fully into the life of our parish community.
Current Projects
STUMBLING FORWARD IN PEACE TOGETHER (MARK 9:38-50)
Parish: ‘The Thought’
Mark 9:30-37
As Heat Islands Worsen in Baltimore, Local Composting Can Relieve It
As Heat Islands Worsen in Baltimore, Local Composting Can Relieve It
Donate
Media Watch
STUMBLING FORWARD IN PEACE TOGETHER (MARK 9:38-50)
by Andrew Irwin Introduction A while ago, I was sitting in a coffee shop waiting for someone; the whole time I was there, I could sense some tension on a table within my ears reach. I could not hear what was being said, but you feel the tension in the
Mark 9:30-37
A Reflection from September 23, 2018 by Rev. Scott E. Hoezee Digging Into the Text: Jesus and the disciples are “on the road again,” headed for Jerusalem. But Jesus didn’t want anyone to know. He didn’t want any more disturbances or interruptions because he was teaching the disciples, preparing them
Parish: ‘The Thought’ – September 9, 2024
I film this video on September 5. Yesterday, as I was holding my 2-year old grandniece in my arms, I heard news of the terrible Apalachee School shooting in Georgia by a 14-year-old who had access to an AR14 assault rifle, a semi-automatic weapon. We are still uncertain whether he
Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Labor Day’s Beginning Labor Day is set aside to celebrate the value and dignity of work. The Bible has some concrete things to teach us about work. Work is not a curse, but part of our created purpose so that we can serve God. The curse is increased hardship, not work. In fact,
Advocacy
STUMBLING FORWARD IN PEACE TOGETHER (MARK 9:38-50)
by Andrew Irwin Introduction A while ago, I was sitting in a coffee shop waiting for someone; the whole time I was there, I could sense some tension on a table within my ears reach. I could not hear what was being said, but you feel the tension in the
Mark 9:30-37
A Reflection from September 23, 2018 by Rev. Scott E. Hoezee Digging Into the Text: Jesus and the disciples are “on the road again,” headed for Jerusalem. But Jesus didn’t want anyone to know. He didn’t want any more disturbances or interruptions because he was teaching the disciples, preparing them
Parish: ‘The Thought’ – September 9, 2024
I film this video on September 5. Yesterday, as I was holding my 2-year old grandniece in my arms, I heard news of the terrible Apalachee School shooting in Georgia by a 14-year-old who had access to an AR14 assault rifle, a semi-automatic weapon. We are still uncertain whether he
Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Labor Day’s Beginning Labor Day is set aside to celebrate the value and dignity of work. The Bible has some concrete things to teach us about work. Work is not a curse, but part of our created purpose so that we can serve God. The curse is increased hardship, not work. In fact,
Action Alert
- Address Heat Islands and its disparate impact on lower-income, urban neighborhoods.
- Right to organize – locally and globally.
- Implementation of Maryland’s Paid Family & Medical Leave law
- Involvement in advocacy and direct engagement
- Work together with other committees where issues overlap with our missions.
A Safety Net for Maryland Families
The Time to Care Act (HB8/SB275) will help Marylanders take time away from work to care for new babies, loved ones with serious health conditions, or themselves. The Time to Care Act would provide workers with partial wage replacement for up to 12 weeks away from work to take care of life events that can happen to any of us at any time. With income partially replaced from an insurance fund into which they’ve paid, families are also better able to care for an aging parent, or deal with military employment.
We have gathered several resourses to help you better understand the importance of this legistlature and hope you will join us in supporting the passing of the Time to Care Act.
Meetings
2nd Thursday of the month at 6 PM
- Ignatian Hall