Health Care front and center

On Tuesday evening, I joined Disney hotel workers, their families, other members of the Episcopal Church and labor rights activists in a march from near the Hilton to the gates of Disneyland to demand justice for hotel workers who are about to have their health care costs hiked.

I met several children of hotel workers dismayed when they saw people driving by giving them a “thumbs down” sign out their car window. They asked why people would be against justice – they “understand why would just drive by but why would they say no? They stink!”

I also met a young woman originally from Texas but now living in California and working for worker’s rights through the National Farm Worker’s Council. She was very excited to meet someone from Convention that came to support them, and thanked me. She also asked a lot of questions about our Church and what we have been doing this week. My story-telling skills from Public Narrative came in handy! The fact that she wanted to listen to my story in addition to telling me hers was a wonderful gift, and I hope I returned it to her.

Back at Convention session today, we were asked to pass legislation that would provide lay workers who work 20+ hours per week a pension plan and to support a new denominational health care plan that will be enforced completely in 2012. Both passed the HD, and reinforced that we must back up our words with actions – that we can’t march with hotel worker’s one day and then ignore the lowest paid workers in our own congregations and dioceses. While this may be hard for some parishes to swing, it really is fundamentally about justice, not about dollars and cents. Allowing parishes to “make ends meet” by not offering quality health care and benefits to some of their workers while providing them to those at “the top” is unjust and will soon be unacceptable.

As the Disney worker’s chanted: “Si se pueda!” – Yes we can! And we now we actually are. Amen!