Wednesday, January 10, 2018

“For the laborer deserves to be paid…”(Luke 10:7)

One of the first regular paying jobs that I had as a young adult was at one of the old Towers chain stores, the then equivalent of today’s Walmart. The pay was awful even at minimum wage, if that, but I had no choice; I needed the job. They hired me as a stock boy over the Christmas rush. But I was a jack of all trades, amateur electrician, floor staff, floor display decorator. But then they put me on cash but didn’t train me. It was a disaster, as I didn’t understand that my mistakes – and I made many and often - needed to be voided.  At the end of my first day on cash, my immediate supervisor was horrified at the task of trying to balance my register. It was surprising they didn’t fire me then and there. But they were nice enough to wait until after Christmas!

But my two months in that crappy job made me appreciate the trials and tribulations of workers today who labour for just minimum wage, with few or more likely no benefits, and working long hours, and maybe holding down two jobs to make ends meet and put food on the table for their families, pay for housing and barely eke out a sustainable living.  So, I applaud any and all efforts to increase the minimum wage.  And I scorn those who in Scrooge-like fashion begrudge these, the working poor, every nickel and dime and take away their dignity and pride in the process. Shame on you – you know who you are. You sit on growing profits and enjoy a good lifestyle because these good folk toil for you, but you begrudge them even a 15-minute coffee (!?!) break.

Charge me an extra quarter for my coffee, and I will gladly pay it if it means that somebody gets a little closer to a decent wage.

Jesus would be appalled, I think.

One of his most controversial parables considers the issue of fair and just wages. (Matthew 20:1-15). In this case the vineyard owner turns out to be a very generous individual, and it is the co-workers who struggle with wage parity. Much work needs to be done in the vineyard and through the day the landowner keeps hiring more and more workers.  At the end of the day he pays the workers who came on late in the day exactly the same amount he paid the workers who toiled all day. Human nature being what they cried “Foul!”.  “Taking the money, they groused angrily to the manager, 'These last workers put in only one easy hour, and you just made them equal to us, who slaved all day under a scorching sun.” (Matthew 20: 11 – 12, The Message Bible).

But as the parable points out everybody got a fair and equitable  wage in the end; nobody went home empty handed; nobody was going to go hungry and that amount of money was equally going to cover the costs of daily living for one and all. “Can't I do what I want with my own money? Are you going to get stingy because I am generous?” (Matthew 20: 15, The Message Bible)

There are many ways to apply some of the lessons from this parable. But today, for me, at least, it speaks to the necessity and grace and a spirit of justice that rich folk, affluent business people, company presidents and CEOS, uccessful businesses, lucrative companies, governments who go through money  like water sometimes, assure that  the working poor and those who are doing their utmost to provide for their families are treated more than fairly , justly and generously. Nor should any of us begrudge or complain when they get a helping hand. We all benefit when this happens. There is plenty to go around and then some.

“Do not take advantage of a hired worker who is poor and needy, whether that worker is a fellow Israelite or a foreigner residing in one of your towns,” (Deuteronomy 24:14)

Dale