• What You Can Do
• Christmas Day Litany
• Reflections on Hannukah
• Ramadan and Worker Justice
• Children's Sermon Suggestions
• Bulletin Inserts
• Campaigns for Worker Justice
  
  

This holiday season, consider celebrating faith through solidarity with all workers who contribute to the joy of this sacred season.

• Join a campaign to support workers. See the back pages of this insert for ways to get involved.
• Use the enclosed worship aids to help educate your congregation, organization, union, or faith body.
• Donate toys to striking workers' families. Visit www.iwj.org for a list.
• Try to give gifts that were not made under sweatshop conditions. For a copy of Conscious Giving: A Guide to Sweat-Free Holiday Shopping, download free from www.iwj.org or contact Bridget Harris Olusesi at (773) 728-8400 x10, bridget@iwj.org. Hard copies are 25 cents each, plus shipping and handling.
• Join or form a local interfaith committee for worker justice. Contact Charese Jordan at (773) 728-8400.
• Read your clothing tags. Find out about labor conditions in the countries where clothes are made. Seek out organizations that work in these countries to improve conditions and join their campaigns.
• Host a worker rights training at your congregation. Use the bulletin inserts developed by IWJ and the Department of Labor. Visit www.iwj.org to download in nine languages.
• To engage your congregation, denomination, campus group, or other organization more deeply, purchase the eight-section Challenging Sweatshops Organizing Kit. $10 from IWJ. Contact Bridget Harris Olusesi at (773) 728-8400 x10.

ALL: COMPASSIONATE GOD, make us mindful of the gifts we receive from the labor of many.

Reader: For workers in fields, food plants, restaurants and grocery stores, who raise and prepare the food we enjoy, let us pray:

ALL: COMPASSIONATE GOD, make us mindful of the gifts we receive from the labor of many.

Reader: For all those who work in nursing homes, providing care and services for those we love, may they receive affordable health benefits for themselves and their families, let us pray:

ALL: COMPASSIONATE GOD, make us mindful of the gifts we receive from the labor of many.

Reader: For all employers, especially in toy and clothing companies, that they provide a just work environment that does not rely upon the labor of children, let us pray:

ALL: COMPASSIONATE GOD, make us mindful of the gifts we receive from the labor of many.

Reader: For all employees, that they may receive a living wage to provide for their families, let us pray:

ALL: COMPASSIONATE GOD, make us mindful of the gifts we receive from the labor of many.

Reader: For retail workers, that in this season of giving and generosity, face long hours, low wages, and anxious shoppers, let us pray:

ALL: COMPASSIONATE GOD, make us mindful of the gifts we receive from the labor of many.

Reader: For all of us who shop and buy goods, may we have the courage to say "NO!" to goods produced in sweatshops, where women, men and children earn only pennies a day and work in unsafe conditions, let us pray:

ALL: COMPASSIONATE GOD, make us mindful of the gifts we receive from the labor of many.

Reader: For all workers, that in this season of giving and generosity, they will receive affordable health benefits for themselves and their families, let us pray:

ALL: COMPASSIONATE GOD, make us mindful of the gifts we receive from the labor of many.

Reader: For those who are without any or enough work, especially in this season of abundance, may they also reap the benefits of our "good" economy, let us pray:

ALL: COMPASSIONATE GOD, make us mindful of the gifts we receive from the labor of many.

Reader: Compassionate God, let our hearts and minds be opened in this season of light. As we celebrate the gifts of Your loving presence, may we never stop working to build Your reign here on earth so that all of creation knows and experiences Your the justice, joy and peace.

ALL: AMEN.

• During Hannukah we celebrate the triumph of the few over the mighty.
• We commemorate a small band of Jewish rebels' victory over the suppression of their faith and the persecution of their people in the second century, BCE.
• We light the candles on our menorah to honor the rededication of the Temple, defiled by an imperial power that aspired to snuff out the community.
• Our menorah holds nine candles: one central candle, taller than the others, the shamash, is used to light the other eight, one for each of the holiday's eight days.
• On the first day, only one candle is lit, and the flame is just a flicker.
• On the second day, two candles are lit, and the flames, alongside one another, produce twice as much light.
• Each day, another candle is added. Each day, the glow of the light builds.
• We place our menorahs in doorways and windows, because we are taught to "publicize the miracle" (in Hebrew, pirsum haness). We are not shy of our endurance, cannot shrink from the reach of our reflection.
• Hannukah means "dedication."
• This year the holiday begins on December 21st, the darkest day of the year.
• This year, may we dedicate ourselves to lighting the dark places each day, shining light on the corners of factories where injustice barks orders, each day illuminating the corridors of nursing homes where the lure of profits too often trumps the care of patients.
• Let the menorah stand as a symbol of the power of organizing.
• As the flames gain strength in numbers, so too may we.
  
  

It is particularly appropriate during this holy month to acknowledge the divinity of all work and workers, and to denounce the greed that too often compromises their dignity.

• What is this family doing? (Eating)
• Does it look like a special meal or time? (Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hannukah)
• What kind of food are they eating? (Turkey, vegetable, etc.)
• Where does the food come from? (Grocery store)
• Before it gets to the grocery store, where does it come from? (A farm, or turkey plant)
• Who grows, raises or picks the food? (People - farmworkers, in particular) Does anyone here know anyone who works on a farm?

Prop 2: Show a picture of a farmworker. (There are two suitable pictures on the National Interfaith Committee website at www.iwj.org)

• What is this person doing? (Picking food)
  Let me tell you about farmworkers in the United States.

There are several million people who pick our food. Often, the whole family, mom, dad, and the kids, will all pick food together. This means that lots of children like you work in farms and don't get to attend schools.

• Does this look like fun? Does this look like hard work?
  

It is hard work, and can sometimes be dangerous work. People who own the farms use pesticides, like the fertilizer you might put on your grass, in order to kill bugs that might harm the food. The pesticide may be good for the food, but it often makes the farmworkers, especially children, sick.

• How do you think God wants the people who pick our (Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hannukah) dinner food treated? How do you think we could help?

Today, we are going to do three things. 1) We are going to pray for farmworkers and farmworker children. 2) Our special collection will go to our state farmworker ministry office (or some other appropriate place). 3) We are going to urge our mommies and daddies to look at the sheet on the bulletin board telling us how we can help with current farmworker campaigns.

Prayer: Dear God, thank you for the food you give us to eat everyday. Thank you for the food we will have (had) on (Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hannukah.) We ask you dear God to keep your protective arm around farmworkers and farmworker children. Help us as a country find ways to ensure that farmworkers are treated with dignity. Help us to remember those who pick our food. Amen.

Sermon 2: Holiday Gift-Giving

Prop: Not required, but you could have a sample present wrapped up. Or, you could have a large size water bottle or other container decorated for taking a special collection - children could be asked to contribute coins into the bottle at a later time.

• What do you like best about Christmas/Hanukkah? (Toys/presents)
  Toys/presents—really. I'm so surprised you said this!
• How many of you like to get presents? How many of you like to give presents?

God doesn't really talk to us about getting presents, but God does talk to us about giving to people, especially people who don't have as much as we do.

Christmas Text:
I Corinthians 9:7-8 says: Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that by always having enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good work.

• What does this mean?
• What do you think a cheerful giver is like? Are you a cheerful giver?

Hanukkah Text:
As the Talmud teaches, "When a person gives even a perutah (the smallest coin), he or she is privileged to sense God's presence."

• What do you think this means?
• How might you sense God's presence when you give to someone?

For All
As we approach this Season of Giving, we must each find ways to give to others who have less than we do. Give presents to your parents, but let's join in giving to others. Let's...
Consider undertaking one of the following giving projects:

• Ask children to bring a wrapped toy to the next service for contribution to a worthy cause. Toys can be given to a local shelter for families, to an organized holiday program, or to the children of striking or locked-out workers. See the National Interfaith Committee's website at www.iwj.org for a list of contact people for giving toys to the children of striking or locked-out workers.
• Ask children to bring a financial contribution for the decorated water bottle or other special children's collection.
• Ask each class to buy a present to distribute at an appropriate place.

Prayer: Oh life-giving God, thank You for the gifts You give to us daily. Help us to be cheerful givers. Help us to sense Your presence as we give. Help us to remember that You have given us an abundance so that we might share with others. In this time of gift giving, help us to give to those in need. Amen.

Faith and Worker Justice

At a time in our country when many prosper as never before, it is too easy to forget the plight of those who cannot make ends meet and who labor hard, but never reach economic security.

For people of faith, celebrating the value of labor and protecting the rights and dignity of those who work is not simply a political or economic agenda, but a sacred trust. The Bible roots the meaning of work in the very creative act of God who shaped the universe, built a dwelling for the human family, and then rested.

The great prophet Isaiah saw this divine creation as still in progress, the building of a "new heaven and a new earth." Planting a vineyard and hoping to enjoy the fruit of its vines—building a home and looking forward to a peaceful old age and retirement with dignity—all of these were divine activities now entrusted to human beings (Isaiah 65:17-25.)

No wonder prophets such as Amos roared with anger at those who would "sell the laborer for a pair of sandals" or "trample the head of the poor into dust of the earth." (Amos 2:6-7). Economic justice for all goes hand-in-hand with respect for the dignity of labor.

Religious principles of equity, respect and economic justice for all cannot be forgotten. The religious community is called upon to assert the dignity of labor and to defend the rights of those who labor. Corporations and labor work most effectively when they can cooperate and build together. The task of the religious community is to urge them both, to help them both, to grow in a moral context.

As people of faith, we can uphold the dignity of each person by asserting the dignity of labor:

• Fair compensation for work. We must advocate for a living wage, one that could keep a family out of poverty.
• Job security. In a global marketplace, companies should not only consider their bottom line, but also the effect that global decisions have on the lives of employees.
• The right to organize. Workers should know that if they choose to organize a union, they will not be fired or harassed for their efforts.
• Family-friendly schedules. Jobs should pay enough that people do not have to work extraordinary hours in order to raise their families. In addition, companies should seek ways to support workers' family obligations.
• Participation in workplace decision-making. Workers have a right to participate in decisions that affect their lives. They are also more productive and invested in their work when they are included in the decision-making process.
• Sharing in the benefits of a company. When a company prospers, workers should share in its prosperity.

Giving a Just Thanks

Holidays remind us that God's bounty is plentiful. Our food and other blessings in life come not from our own hands but from God's. Our response is gratitude and praise.

Yet we are also mindful that the work of many hands has brought this food to our grocery stores, our kitchens, and our tables. Our food has been prepared by poultry workers who catch turkeys and chickens, farm workers who pick the fruits and vegetables, and by workers who process these foods in factories.

Too many of the workers who have a part in our Holiday meals face grave injustices at their jobs. It may be easy for us to forget these workers, but they are not able to forget the bodily injuries, low pay, and lack of respect that many of them have endured.

If we do not pray and act for justice, in addition to giving our thanks to God, our praise to the Creator is empty and blasphemous. As we say prayers of thanksgiving and justice, we welcome all workers to the bountiful table.

Prayer

God of blessing and bounty, we praise you for the wonders of this creation. As we see the Holiday table before us, we know that you have provided us with more than enough to meet everyone's need. We celebrate the planting and harvest of your good gifts.

We also know, God of justice and mercy, that there are many people who have not been invited to enjoy the bounty of this table and this nation. We are mindful that many of the uninvited are the workers who made this meal possible. They have often suffered grave injustices in body, mind, and soul because of their labor on our behalf. Forgive us, we pray, for taking their labor lightly and for remaining silent as we enjoy the fruits of their harvest.

May this food and fellowship nourish in us a heart of justice and gratitude until we taste the fruit of a just labor for all. Amen.

Litany
One: Taste and see that God is good!
All: Praise be to God who brings the harvest, who fills us with rich food!
One: Taste and see that God is good!
All: Praise be to God who brings the harvest, who leavens our bread with justice and righteousness!
One: Taste and see that God is good!
All: Let us eat the bread of gratitude and praise, justice and righteousness. Taste and see how good God is!

Nike
The widely publicized Nike Campaign continues to work to improve conditions for Nike workers in Indonesia, Vietnam, and China. Studies reveal serious human rights violations in factories that contract with Nike. The campaign advocates for a living wage, a normal work week, and the right to organize. Contact:

Mr. Trim Bissell, Campaign for Labor Rights
1247 E. Street, SE; Washington, DC 20003
Phone: (541) 344-5410; Fax: (541) 431-0523
clr@igc.apc.org; www.summersault.com/~agj/clr

Kohl's Department Stores
Kohl's department store has become an anti-sweatshop target after hundreds of workers at its supplier factories in Nicaragua were fired for demanding an eight-cent raise. Vigils and marches will occur throughout the holiday season. Contact:

Nancy Neal, People of Faith Network
Lafayette Avenue; Presbyterian Church
85 South Oxford Street; Brooklyn, NY 11217
Phone:(718) 625-2819; Fax: (718) 625-3491
pofn@cloud9.net

National Labor Committee
275 Seventh Avenue; New York, NY 10001
(212) 242-3002; www.nlcnet.org

Chiquita Banana
Because of a world-wide glut of bananas, thousands of workers in the banana industry have been fired, intimidated, or have lost union gains that were the result of decades of collective bargaining with many of Central America's oldest and strongest private sector unions. The campaign works with banana workers' unions to respond strategically to the crisis. Contact:

US/LEAP
P.O. Box 268-290; Chicago, IL 60626
Phone: (773) 262-6502; Fax:(773) 262-6602
usgleapja@mindspring.com; www.usleap.org

NORPAC Foods
NORPAC, the Oregon Food Cooperative owned by 250 growers, has refused to recognize and negotiate with the union, despite the workers' voting for PCUN in 1991. The union has asked groups throughout the nation to boycott NORPAC products: Westpac, and Flav-R-Pac. Contact:

PCUN
300 Young St.; Woodburn, OR 97071
Phone: (503)982-0243; Fax: (503) 982-1031
farmworkerunin@pcun.org; www.pcun.org

Mt. Olive Pickles
Migrant cucumber pickers in North Carolina who produce for Mt. Olive Pickle Company seek a tri-party labor contract to ensure living wages and dignity on the job. In the 1980s, FLOC pioneered tri-party labor contracts among workers, growers, and food processing corporations. FLOC called a national boycott of Mt. Olive Pickles in March 1999, when Mt. Olive refused to negotiate. Contact:

Farm Labor Organizing Committee (FLOC), AFL-CIO
1221 Broadway Street; Toledo, OH 43609
Phone: (419) 243-3456; Fax: (419)243-5655
info@floc.com; www.floc.com

Strawberry Workers
California's 20,000 strawberry workers in Watsonville and surrounding areas work long hours, for low pay, and many do not have bathrooms and drinking water available, despite the industry's prosperity. More than 6,000 stores nationwide have signed a pledge to support the Strawberry Workers. Contact:

United Farm Workers (Ufw)
519 Main Street; Watsonville, CA 95076
Phone: (408)763-4904; Fax: (408) 728-4590
www.ufw.org

Poultry
The poultry industry is known for its low wages, poor benefits, and harsh working conditions. A recent Department of Labor investigation documented in its survey that 60 percent of the plants were violating wage and hour laws. To get involved with a poultry alliance or to support national initiatives if you do not live near a plant, contact:

Elisabeth Solomon; IWJ, Public Policy Director
1020 W. Bryn Mawr Ave., 4th Fl., Chicago, IL 60660
Phone: (773) 728-8400 x42; Fax: (773) 728-8409

Nursing Homes
According to the Department of Labor, 30 percent of nursing homes are violating wage and hour laws. Many are increasing their profits while cutting staff and denying workers basic benefits which makes nursing homes hazardous environments both for workers and for residents. Poor care is blamed on individual workers instead of addressing the real abuse caused by short-staffing, high turnover, lack of training, and corporate greed. Contact:

Elisabeth Solomon, Public Policy Director
1020 W. Bryn Mawr Ave., 4th Fl., Chicago, IL 60660
Phone: (773) 728-8400 x42; Fax: (773) 728-8409

To order: contact Bridget Harris Olusesi at bridget@iwj.org or by phone: (773) 728-8400.