wfn.org | Fair wages, workplace parity

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addre
August 6, 1997
Episcopal News Service
Jim Solheim, Director
212-922-5385
ens@ecunet.org

97-1911
Fair wages, workplace parity 
addressed by General Convention

     (ENS) If sociologist Robert Wuthnow is right, American churches
must begin now to address the relationships between faith, the
workplace, and economic justice~or suffer a continuing drain on their
ability to minister to the world and keep their own doors open.
     If the 72nd General Convention is any indication, the Episcopal
Church is starting to listen to Wuthnow. 
     Deputies and bishops passed a resolution authorizing a "wide-
ranging" study of the theology of work, citing the impacts of
"downsizing, automation, and changing governmental policies and
corporate practices." 
     As the so-called "Third Industrial Revolution" permeates the work
force, re-engineering efforts could eliminate up to 2.5 million jobs each
year, even as families struggle to make ends meet with two, three, even
four jobs. It's up to the churches to confront the ways in which this
fragments families and communities, according to the sponsoring Diocese
of Pennsylvania's accompanying document. 
     The convention also passed a resolution from the Diocese of Los
Angeles promoting a living wage of $7.50 an hour, $16,000 a year, and
family health benefits as the "minimum acceptable norm for all working
people."
     "Let's send a message that the Episcopal Church is concerned
about more than just sex, sex, sex," said deputy Russell Reno of the
Diocese of Nebraska, to scattered laughter from the house.

Parity is strong theme
     Concern for parity in the church workplace also sounded as a
strong theme throughout discussions of proposals affecting employee
benefits, pensions and retirement for both lay people and clergy.
     Bishops and deputies agreed that lay employees of the Episcopal
Church should have the same salary and benefits as clergy employees as
they approved a resolution originally proposed by the Episcopal
Communicators organization.
     In its final form, the resolution is phrased as a recommendation,
not a policy, of the church and urges all dioceses, churches and
institutions to develop parity between clergy and lay people serving in
equivalent positions. The decision follows similar legislation in 1991 and
1994 offering medical and pension benefits to lay employees.
     "It's only justice that we treat the lay (employees) as if they have
a ministry as important as our own, and they do," said Bishop Catherine
Waynick of the Diocese of Indianapolis.

Health benefits extended to domestic partners
     Equity also was raised as justification as the convention cleared
the way to offer optional health benefits for domestic partners of clergy.
     By a three-vote margin, the bishops concurred with deputies in
authorizing the church's insurer, the Episcopal Church Clergy and
Employees Medical Trust, to include domestic partners in its coverage.
The plan is permissive but not mandatory, meaning that dioceses can
choose whether they want to offer the coverage to their employees.
     Proposed by the Diocese of El Camino Real, the resolution
followed a request by that diocese to include domestic partners in its
medical insurance coverage from the church's medical insurance plan.
The church agency declined to provide the coverage until authorized by
General Convention to do so.
     During debate in the House of Deputies, Kim Byham of the
Diocese of Newark reminded deputies of previous votes on similar
issues, saying, "Three years ago we did call on governments and
businesses to extend coverage of this sort to domestic partners, and we're
simply saying that we should practice what we preach." 
     The Anglican Church of Canada approved a similar resolution at
its Council of General Synod last year.

Pension benefits proposal fails
     A proposal to extend Church Pension Fund benefits to surviving
partners of lesbian and gay clergy and lay employees, however, was
defeated by the deputies in a close vote by orders.
     Proponents of the resolution called it "a justice issue" unrelated to
the church's official position for or against same-gender relationships.
      "We all know and acknowledge that there are gay men and
lesbians who serve as clergy in our church. Please make survivor
benefits available to their spouses now," said Judy Fleener of the Diocese
of Western Michigan, a clergy spouse. 
     But opponents maintained that granting survivor benefits to same-
gender life partners would send a theological message the church isn't
prepared to make.
     "I have a very difficult time having the pension fund bureaucratic
committee come up with definitions that'll be the teaching of this
church," said Robert Royce, a deputy from the Diocese of the Virgin
Islands.

Early retirement offered to clergy
     The convention also endorsed a recommendation from the Church
Pension Fund that would allow 55-year-old clergy with at least 30 years
of credited service to retire and begin drawing full pension benefits.
     To help cover health insurance costs, retirees also will receive a
supplemental annual payment of at least $5,400 until age 62 and $2,700
or more from age 62 to 65, when Medicare insurance for retirees begins.

     The Pension Fund's clergy wellness initiatives advisory committee
recommended the 30-year option following a study that included focus
groups and a survey of active and retired clergy and clergy spouses
receiving pension benefits.
     The survey found 59 percent of active clergy and 31 percent of
retired clergy rated the proposal as excellent or very good, the fund
reported. It estimates that 20 percent of currently active clergy might use
the benefit. It projects the cost at $79.6 million to $114.4 million,
representing 11 to 17 percent of the fund's currently uncommitted
reserves.
     The plan encourages bishops, standing committees and
commissions on ministry to monitor the option's implementation and
report to the fund annually during 1998-2000.
     Supporters predicted the plan will offer an opportunity for
younger clergy to advance to new positions quickly in the church. It also
could represent a "giant step toward full employment for women clergy,"
said the Rev. Ken Snyder, a retired priest from the state of Washington.
     Others noted that retired clergy with full benefits also would be
free to work part time in small-town, rural and inner-city congregations
which cannot afford to pay full salaries and benefits. Other newly retired
clergy also could explore new ministries, overseas service, or other
work.
     The Rev. Jack Nietert of Kansas City took personal interest in the
proposal. "My whole ministry has been committed to growing the
church," said Nietert, ordained 31 years and rector of a parish with 600
baptized members. "I am probably doing the work of at least two priests.
I can't do this for the next nine years."

Some fears expressed
     For some, the prospect of an available pool of retired clergy is
problematic.
     Excerpts read from a letter by Peter Wittenborg, chair of the
Diocese of Massachusetts clergy compensation committee, said his
diocese already had many retired clergy. He suggested in his letter that
Massachusetts has a "large proportion of urban congregations struggling
to remain viable yet reluctant to address critical issues of congregational
restructuring, mission redefinition and reconfiguring as communities of
faith." He worried that "a corps of retired clergy looking for part-time
employment would serve as a disincentive to such congregational
development."
     Wittenborg also expressed concern about the effects of a trend
toward converting full-time to part-time positions. "We cannot continue
to expect candidates for Holy Orders to incur an expensive, three-year
residential graduate degree program ... and only offer them part-time
employment," he wrote.
     In other actions, the convention approved resolutions:
     ~ urging the Church Pension Fund to offer minimum pensions to
some Church Army workers whose pensions have been under some
confusion;
     ~ continuing the work of the Church Pension Fund on the clergy
retirement policy;
     ~ urging the Church Pension Fund to study the future pension
needs of those who have been ordained later in life;
     ~ recommending the Church Pension Fund improve its billing,
processing and communication functions;
     ~ requesting the trustees of the Church Pension Fund to report
back to the next General Convention a plan to achieve competitiveness
and profitability for the Church Insurance Company and improve the
fund's rating.

~based on articles by Sharon Sheridan, a freelance writer living in New
Jersey, Jan Nunley, communications officer for the Diocese of Rhode
Island, and David Skidmore, communications officer for the Diocese of
Chicago.