JUSTICE FOR JANITORS STATEMENT

September 30th, 2002

We call for justice.

As people of faith, we call for racial justice, environmental justice, and economic justice. We know that these issues are intertwined. Our Unitarian Universalist General Assembly resolutions and Statements of Conscience have addressed these issues many times. We are especially concerned about the working poor, who do much of the difficult, dirty, and hazardous work in the world, often without receiving adequate protection or compensation.

These are not merely abstract concerns. In Boston, Providence, and other New England communities, many janitors live in poverty, without adequate wages, health care insurance, or opportunities for advancement. These women and men struggle to find affordable housing and adequate transportation. In the midst of American prosperity, this situation is intolerable.

We encourage labor unions, cleaning contractors, and representatives of the real estate industry to work together to secure justice for the people who maintain and clean commercial buildings. We ask that Unitarian Universalists and others honor picket lines and assist janitors' families with food and emergency services, as all of us, together, educate ourselves about the issues involved in the "Justice for Janitors" campaign. We recall that at the end of his life, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was in Memphis, Tennessee, to express his support for the city's sanitation workers. Let us today affirm justice and compassion in all communities, let us speak for the worth and dignity of every person, and let us acknowledge our respect for the interdependent web of all existence. Justicia en la Tierra.

The Rev. William G. Sinkford
President, Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations
Read statement in Spanish

MEDIA COVERAGE:

Suburban Janitors Join Walkout by Erica Noonan, The Boston Globe, Oct. 10, 2002
Faith Takes a Seat at the Bargaining Table by Rich Barlow, The Boston Globe, Oct. 12, 2002

Unitarian Universalist Association
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