g o o d n e w s t o t h e p o o r6 . 1 9 . 1 1

R e v. B r e n t W r i g h tB r o a d R i p p l e U M C

From the story of the beginning of all things, we learn that all human beings are bearers of the image of God:

Genesis 1:26-27 Then God said, “Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.” So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he

created them; male and female he created them.

Hannah gave God praise and thanksgiving for her long-awaited child, Samuel; she dedicated the child to God with a poetic prayer that included this affirmation of how

God interacts with the poor:1 Samuel 2:8 He raises up the poor from the dust;

he lifts the needy from the ash heap,to make them sit with princes

and inherit a seat of honor.

When Jesus’ mother Mary sang her joy, celebrating her and Elizabeth’s miraculous pregnancies, her song included this affirmation of God’s care of the vulnerable:

Luke 1:52-53 He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly;

he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty.

In Luke’s telling, the first teaching moment of Jesus’ ministry was this reading about what was to be his mission:

Luke 4:16-19 When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

Today, in addition to being Father's Day, is Peace-With-Justice Sunday in the United Methodist Church worldwide. As millions of United Methodists across the country and around the world consider how we can be leaders in our communities in advocating for

Rev. Brent Wright 1 Broad Ripple UMC

peace and justice,here at BRUMC we culminate a four-week series on living faith in our city.

On Memorial Day weekend I talked about how God works through the faith community to shape society for the good of all people. How we live is our proclamation of the good news of God's love for all humanity. I told the stories of a group of churches in a rundown neighborhood in Durham, NC coming together to turn the neighborhood around, and of the people of faith of South Africa joining the struggle against apartheid in the 1980s. Two weeks ago we heard of the birth of a new organization of faith communities here in Indianapolis that will be working to make our city look more like the Kingdom of God for all people. We had conversations with each other so that Rob Richardson and Scott Kahler could take our perspectives to the meeting of the Indianapolis Congregational Action Network. Last week I retold the story of the Freedom Rides of 1961, which were an early national-level victory in the Civil Rights Movement. We considered how the massive changes in race relations in America in the last 50 years began small, with a committed group of folks who weren't willing to simply go along with injustice choosing to act in a small way: they rode the segregated buses together. Change seemed impossible, but, as the scripture reminded us, with God, nothing is impossible.

This week, we consider a way we can make a difference here at home. There is awful injustice happening right here in our backyard, right here in our beloved city, and we can be a part of the solution. We can be part of what God is doing at this moment in our city's history.

First, I ask you to consider:• Have you ever had a bad boss who treated you like dirt?• Have you ever felt like you’re just a number, a part in a machine?• Have you ever felt the vulnerability of your job being at risk because the boss could

get your work cheaper if they got rid of you and gave it to somebody else? • Have you ever had to work in a workplace where questioning anything would likely

get you fired?I haven't. I've been fortunate. No one should have to work in those circumstances. I bet many of you have experienced these indignities.

This morning we will consider together the hospitality industry: the hotels and the convention center downtown, in particular. Have you ever thought about what a hotel job would be like? Housekeeping or banquet service or kitchen work or a restaurant job? I have. I always imagined it would be hard, pretty unpleasant work for low pay, but okay. Not a great job, but a living. Hard on the feet, physically taxing, but a solid job. Like any other workplace.

Rev. Brent Wright 2 Broad Ripple UMC

My grandmother, my mom's mom (we called her Nana), worked in a motel for many years: the Latta motel in Latta, SC, not far from the North Carolina line, along the north-south artery that connected the Northeast and Florida (what's now I-95). I never heard much about that work, but I can imagine that it had some things in common with hotel work today. Housekeeping was still housekeeping; cleaning up after other people probably wasn't the most attractive job; making beds and cleaning toilets all day is hard, behind-the-scenes toil, lots of sweat for little appreciation. But the Latta Motel was a small operation; I can imagine that there was a small staff, and I'm sure Nana knew all the other staffpeople who worked there. Latta's a little town; she would most certainly have known their families, gone to church with some of her coworkers, crossed paths with others at the restaurant or the bank or the post office. Surely the new housekeeper was her high school classmate's daughter, and the maintenance man played cards with her husband every other week. If my mother was sick and Nana needed to have the day off to care for her child, I imagine the boss would have found a way to let the mother do her primary job, too. If Nana got hurt on the job, it's not a stretch to assume that the motel's owner would have made sure she had the care she needed and would find a replacement to cover her shifts until she could get back to work.

That's how I imagine the hospitality industry working today. It's not work I would want to do, but I've always assumed it would be a basic, solid living where folks were at least treated with dignity, if not with generous pay.

Since I returned to ministry in the city last summer, I have come to know a few people who work in the hospitality industry, and recently I had a meeting with a few brave people who shared their experiences working in the hotels downtown. What I heard disturbed me deeply, and I think the gospel calls us to listen to their story with compassion.

Over the last few years, there has been a significant change happening in the hospitality industry as a whole that reflects larger shifts that are happening in our society: as pressure is high to offer products at lower and lower prices, companies are looking for any way they can find to save money. The hospitality industry, among many others, is turning to the practice of shifting jobs from the main company to outside contractors. Contractors offer cheaper labor by paying the absolute minimum wage they can, offering little or no benefits, and aggressively resisting anything that might result in higher costs. The competitive pressure the contractors face to provide workers cheaper than others squeezes workers tighter and tighter. In some ways, it's a healthy competitive business system. But in our city (and others), it has gone way too far, leading to widespread abuse of workers and working conditions that are unacceptable to me.

Rev. Brent Wright 3 Broad Ripple UMC

What does this look like? I recently met a 20-something year-old woman named Ana1, and here is the story she told me of her work experience over the last 10 years, since she moved here with her daughter Sofia from Mexico City. From 2002-2010, Ana worked for a company called HSS, which is a large national company that hotels are contracting their jobs to. Ana worked at several downtown hotels as a busser, hostess, prep cook, cook, and banquet server. It goes without saying that Ana had to work long hours for very little pay––as little as the law allows––and without benefits. And that, alone, is hardly my dream for my neighbors in Indianapolis, for my sister who cleans my room or serves my meal. But that's not even half the problem. She was treated as property, without regard for her normal need for rest: Her boss would call at midnight, demanding that she be at work early in the morning, even though it was her day off. She would be told to work all day from 2:30am as a breakfast cook, then be assigned the 5-11pm shift at Champions. Sometimes she was told to work 15-16 hours a day. Most shocking to me, HSS routinely cheated her out of her pay. For three years, she was being skimmed 1-2 hours at a time. Every two weeks, her paycheck would be missing 10 hours' pay. And it wasn't always subtle. Once in August 2007, she was working at the Embassy Suites and at Champions restaurant and her (biweekly) paycheck was for $87. When she went to ask for the rest of her pay, she was told that no one was available to talk to her and they couldn't do anything about it. When she kept asking, she was told to bring in pay stubs; she did, and again she was told that they couldn't do anything about it. She had to find another job––her HSS job wasn't sufficient to pay the bills and provide childcare. She applied to Chili's and HSS fired her for looking for another job. Chili's would allow her to work for them with another job. Having no better option, she went back to HSS, asking if she could return to work as a banquet server; she worked for them for 3 more years. Every time they called she had to be there. If she didn't show for any reason, she would lose her job.

The picture that emerges in Ana's story, and many others like it, is of a destructive and disturbing shift in culture in the hospitality industry in our city: workers are no longer people with dignity. They're no longer people with stories. They're no longer people with families to support, they're objects, pieces of a machine, entries on a spreadsheet. They're disposable. The cheaper, the better. If one breaks, throw it away and get another one. And they're suspicious, they're adversaries, they're to be dominated and tightly controlled and certainly not trusted or respected.

And this isn't just my interpretation of the situation. Have a look at the images on the next page. These are HSS's own advertisements in national trade publications. This is them representing what they do in the best light they can imagine. What do each of the images say about how workers are viewed? The vending machine image dehumanizes the workers; they're not people, they're cheap products, a dime-a-dozen. The lineup

Rev. Brent Wright 4 Broad Ripple UMC

1 Ana is not her actual name; she told me her name, but I have changed hers and all the other names in this part of the sermon out of respect for their vulnerability in a system that punishes those who speak out.

image demonizes the workers; they can't be trusted and shouldn't be respected any more than the criminals the image suggests they are. If this is who workers are, it's no wonder they're mistreated and disrespected.

This is not what scripture tells us about people. In our most ancient story of where we come from,of who we are as human beings, we're told that we bear the image of God––each and every one of us. All human beings, rich and poor, white and brown and black and yellow, English-speaking and Spanish-speaking and Burmese-speaking. Each one of those workers in that vending machine is a beautiful creation of God, bearing the image of God, not a disposable part in a profit machine. And scripture is very clear, over and over, that when there are sides to be chosen, God is on the side of the poor and the oppressed. Hannah sang it, Mary sang it, and Jesus proclaimed it in his first teaching with the words of Isaiah. When someone is demonizing and dehumanizing God's children, there's not much mystery about where God stands. Scripture is clear, and our hearts resonate strongly with that truth, don't they? This treatment of workers, this way of looking at people, is wrong.

Rev. Brent Wright 5 Broad Ripple UMC

And there's another dimension of this situation that must be acknowledged: most of the workers I'm talking about this morning don't speak English. They're first generation immigrants to the Land of Opportunity, just like all of our forebears were not so long ago. And the situation with our hospitality workers has degraded so much that it now sounds like slavery. Do you see it in the ads? Can you hear it in the way these workers are being viewed by their employer: workers are no longer people with dignity, with stories, with families to support; they're objects, pieces of a machine, entries on a spreadsheet; they're disposable, the cheaper, the better; if one breaks, throw it away and get another one; they're suspicious, they're adversaries, they're to be dominated and tightly controlledand certainly not trusted or respected. This is how slaves were viewed. Dehumanized and demonized while being taken advantage of for their labor. Friends, there is an entire community of people being held in virtual slavery by the vulnerability of a language barrier, by the desperation of poverty, by intimidation and exploitation of their legitimate fear. Right here in our own city. Today.

I'm angry about that. And I'm deeply sad that my neighbors have such a different experience from me of life in the Crossroads of America. This is not my dream for my city. This is not the Indianapolis I'm proud of. This is the opposite of the Kingdom of God

Are you ready for some good news? We're not powerless in this system. We can do something about this. There are many ways to make a difference for our family members in the hospitality industry. We can be God's tools in redeeming this sinful cycle of oppression!

First, and most important, we can remember that those who serve us are people, with stories and families and hopes & dreams just like ours. We can go out of our way to see them as whole people, to treat them like beloved family members, to honor them as equals, which they are. How can I do that? You can probably think of a number of ways; here are several I think of:

• I can go out of my way to treat hospitality workers as human beings:

• I can make sure to always make eye contact and greet those I pass as I would a respected friend.

• I can give the housekeeper a hand when I check out of the hotel by piling towels on the counter (no bending over!), by putting all my trash in one trash can (no need to empty the others!), by stripping the bed and pillows and collecting the linens, and by leaving a surprisingly generous tip (become the bright spot in their day!) along with a note of appreciation and recognition.

• I can honor my server at dinner by thanking them for bringing things and taking away dishes just like I would my mother.

Rev. Brent Wright 6 Broad Ripple UMC

• I can look for symbolic ways to demonstrate that my priorities include the dignity and well-being of workers. One way that is available this summer is to adopt a worker, serving as their voice in advocating for a measure that would share with them a small amount of the tourism tax income their work generates and supports. There's a measure that will come before the City Council on August 15 that will give hospitality workers making less than $25,000 a year (which is most of them) a tax credit that amounts to about $300 for most workers. Alongside the massive tax credits and refunds our city gives to the corporations that run the hotels and sports franchises in our city, it's a small measure. Drops in the bucket on the scale of city finance. But it will be powerful symbolism and a good start, demonstrating that the people of our city believe Indianapolis should be a place where those who serve our visitors, those who make guests comfortable in our city, can make a living and be treated with dignity and respect. Attached at the end of this file is a sheet that includes a pledge––an opportunity to stand in for a worker. As you've heard, workers are legitimately afraid of losing their jobs if they advocate for themselves, so they need friends like you and me, who are not vulnerable like they are, to speak for them. You're invited to sign the pledge indicating your solidarity with workers like Ana. If you are able, let your presence speak loudly at the City Council meeting in August when this proposal will be considered (see more information at the end of this sermon file). I'll be there, because Ana isn't free to speak out in the same way I am. And, even more important, and regardless what you think of the tax proposal: you're invited to write a note of support to a worker on the form. It will be delivered to the worker. Reach out to them with God's love through this simple note, and let God do the rest.

• One other way to make a difference: we can learn more about how hotels are treating their workers, and make a point of giving your business to those who treat workers like we would want our own family members treated.

When we act for justice, I encourage you to feel the joy of standing with Jesus beside those who struggle, of being a voice for the voiceless, of being part of the Body of Christ caring for "the least of these my brothers and sisters."

If you'd like to write a note or pledge your support for workers through the tax measure, leave your blue sheet with an usher or on a table in the parlor, or feel free to take it with you and bring it back. (If you're reading this from the web in summer 2011, feel free to print or edit this form and bring/send/email it to me.)

Rev. Brent Wright 7 Broad Ripple UMC

I Adopted One. IND IANAPOL IS HOTEL WORKER  

ADOPT-­‐A-­‐WORKER  PLEDGE  To  my  brothers  and  sisters  who  work  in  Indianapolis  hotels,  

I   pledge   to   support   you   in   your   fight  against   poverty   and   inequality   in  Indianapolis   hotels.     I   adopt   your  cause.    I  will  make  it  my  own.  

I  will   represent   you   at   a   City   Council  meeting   on   August   15,   2011   so   that  your   voice   is   heard   when   my   words  are  spoken.  

My  special  message  to  you:    

 

 

 

 

In  Friendship,  

 

SILENCED  VOICES  Hotel   workers   in   Indianapolis   are   living   in   poverty  and  working  in  fear.    If  they  speak  out  in  public,  they  may  be  fired.    

GIVING  VOICE  Now,  people  of  conscience  are  pledging  to  give  their  voices  to  break  the  shameful  silence  and  tell  our  city  leaders   that   something   can   and  must   be   done   for  the   thousands   who   scrub   bathroom   floors,   make  beds,   prepare   food   and   welcome   visitors   to  Indianapolis.  

1701  West  18th  Street      Indianapolis,  IN  46202-­‐1056    

Labor  Donated  

Rev. Brent Wright 8 Broad Ripple UMC

VOICE  FOR  ALL  CAMPAIGN

A  tax  ordinance  will  be  presented  to  City  Council  to  give  hotel  workers  in  the  Professional  Sports  Development  Area  a  tax  refund  of  their  County  Op?on  Income  Tax  if  they  make  under  $25,000.

The  Professional  Sports  Development  Area  is  an  area  designated  by  state  statute  that  allows  the  tourism  industry  to  capture  all  taxes  generated  by  4  hotels  (MarrioK,  JW  MarrioK,  HyaK,  &  Wes?n)  along  with  sports  stadiums  &  the  conven?on  center.    This  means  that  our  city  and  state  are  in  fact  not  receiving  anything  from  these  hotels.  

In  the  last  decade,  Indianapolis  taxpayers  have  put  a  billion  dollars  into  the  tourism  industry;  expec?ng  to  receive  some  benefit  from  it  for  their  neighborhoods;  however  most  of  the  taxes  generated  by  the  hospitality  industry  are  fed  back  into  the  Capital  Board  of  Improvements  (which  oversees  the  Conven?on  Center,  Lucas  Oil  Stadium,  Conseco  Fieldhouse,  Victory  Field,  and  the  Colts  Prac?ce  facility).    The  CIB  funnels  that  money  back  into  the  tourism  industry  through  giving  money  to  the  Indianapolis  Conven?on  and  Visitors  Associa?on,  to  the  Simon  family  for  the  Pacers,  and  to  other  downtown  developers  and  corpora?ons.    Taxpayers  are  leW  with  nothing  but  low  wage  jobs  that  don’t  even  allow  for  a  good  source  of  income  to  support  their  neighborhoods  (home  ownership,  beau?fica?on,  local  business  patronage).

This  ordinance  would  give  workers  a  tax  refund  that  would  mean  around  an  extra  $300  that  they  could  use  to  pay  a  month’s  rent,  to  buy  groceries,  to  buy  their  children  school  clothes-­‐-­‐-­‐purchases  that  would  put  money  back  into  the  local  economy.    To  the  city  this  would  be  a  cost  of  around  $300,000;  which  in  light  of  recent  payouts  of  $30  million  to  the  Simons  for  the  Pacers,  $1.6  million  for  a  ribbon  scoreboard,  $3  million  for  carpet  upgrades  at  the  conven?on  center,  and  $89  million  for  the  recent  North  of  South  Development  is  nothing.    

The  Voice  for  All  campaign  is  a  simple  opportunity  to  say  that  we  stand  with  these  hotel  workers,  we  stand  for  our  neighborhoods,  and  we  want  our  city  to  realign  its  priori?es.

Rev. Brent Wright 9 Broad Ripple UMC