Friday, March 8, 2013

Greater Binghamton Labor-Religion Coalition Sponsors Fast for Living Wage

From Greater Binghamton Labor-Religion Coalition:

On Monday, March 11, 2013, the Greater Binghamton Labor-Religion Coalition will hold a 3:00 P.M. Press Conference at the Broome County Council of Churches office at 3 Otseningo St., Binghamton to announce its Annual 40-Hour FAST.

The theme of this year’s FAST is Worker Justice. The fast will begin at 8:00 P.M. on Wednesday, March 13th, and conclude at 12:00 Noon on Friday, March 15th.

The Press Conference will provide information about the Labor-Religion Coalition of New York State and the Annual 40-Hour FAST, its purpose and history. Speakers will remind the community of the importance of laborers and of justice in the work place. The event will serve as an invitation to all in the wider community to participate in a forty-hour period when the needs of workers are highlighted and new commitments can be made to work for justice.

The Greater Binghamton Labor-Religion Coalition is one of several chapters associated with the Labor-Religion Coalition of New York State, a network of people of faith and labor which calls upon our values and morality to give a voice to workers. The annual FAST provides a time to alter our daily habits and to focus upon the personal needs of self and those around us. Fasting is a process which can bring a closer awareness of abundance and want, excess and scarcity, justice and injustice.

In addition to the invitation to fast, the Labor-Religion Coalition invites all citizens to help implement a just system in the work place. During this special period and in the coming weeks across New York State, individuals, religious congregations, and labor communities will be calling upon our elected leaders and enlightened employers to increase the minimum wage and to work toward implementing a living wage for all workers.

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Broome leaders weigh in on sequester impact

BINGHAMTON — Local leaders of human services agencies came together Monday to discuss effects the community will see as a result of the sequester.

The sequester kicked in Friday night and requires federal agencies to make $85 billion in spending cuts through the Sept. 30, which is the end of the federal fiscal year.

“They’re trying to balance this budget on the poor and the vulnerable,” said Sister Marilyn Perkins, vice president of Mission Integration at Lourdes Hospital in Binghamton.

On Monday afternoon, in the Broome County Council of Churches, members from agencies including Head Start, Catholic Charities, Southern Tier AIDS Program and Opportunities for Broome, echoed Perkins’ sentiments and called on local residents to appeal the cuts to elected officials in Washington.

The groups were brought together by Citizen Action of New York.

“The money is there,” said Amy Fleming, a volunteer with Citizen Action, speaking about how Congress and the president need to work harder. “They just need the will and the heart and the integrity to move it.”

While most representatives were unsure of the immediate effects the sequester will have on their agencies, they all agreed the cuts will get worse over the course of the month and will be devastating to the local community if no action is taken.

“This will be compounded,” said Kathy Pfaffenbach, who works in the food pantry for Catholic Charities of Broome County.

Programs like Meals on Wheels, which delivers meals to the elderly and WIC, which provides nutritious food for woman, infants and children, will be greatly affected through cuts in funding, she said.

This could lead to a greater dependence on the community to help fill the shelves and may mean less nutritious food for recipients.

Kate Grippen, the Head Start director of the Family Enrichment Network, said the program already has a waiting list of 102 and 106, respectively, for Head Start and Early Head Start programs.

She said the list will continue to grow and there may be staff cuts for employees in the future.
“Simply put, the sequester is extremely painful,” she said.

Written by
Meghin Delaney
@PSBMeghinD