Thank you to all who urged your members of Congress to restore Davis-Bacon requirements following the Gulf Coast storms.
Bowing to pressure, President Bush reversed his earlier decision and restored "prevailing wage" protections for construction workers in hurricane-affected areas.

Click here to urge your Senators to co-sponsor S1925, the Rebuild with Respect Act, and to urge your Representative to support similar legislation in the House.Senators Edward Kennedy (D-MA), Charles Schumer (D- NY), Byron Dorgan (D-ND) and Tom Harkin (D-IA) introduced the Rebuild with Respect Act (Senate Bill 1925) on 10/26/05, to restore basic protections removed by the administration for Gulf Coast rebuilding.These protections cover fair contracting practices, affirmative action, and safe working conditions. The Rebuild with Respect Act would also require recipients of federal disaster rebuilding funds to hire local residents and to use local firms. It would extend emergency unemployment insurance and expand eligibility for disaster unemployment assistance to people who have difficulty finding jobs.The cost of rebuilding the hurricane-ravaged Gulf Coast has become an excuse to victimize millions of low-income Americans by proposing morally suspect budget solutions.In the coming weeks, committees in both the House and Senate will wrap up their work on two key budget reconciliation bills followed by a vote in each house for each bill. After closed-door work by joint congressional House/ Senate conference committees, a December vote is expected in each house before these two bills will be sent to the President.Please urge your elected officials to OPPOSE two budget reconciliation bills that:

• Cut spending for programs for low-income families and individuals such as Food Stamps, Medicaid, Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF), and Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC).
• Give tax breaks to the wealthiest Americans

As members of the religious community, we are faced with three choices: slashing essential programs, rolling back tax breaks for the wealthy or ending the war. Congress is only considering the most morally reprehensible actions. In the coming weeks, two budget reconciliation bills will move through both houses of Congress. One proposes spending cuts for programs supporting low-income families and individuals and the other proposes tax breaks for wealthy Americans. Click here to read more.

Click here to urge your Senators to co-sponsor the Rebuild with Respect Act and to urge your Representative to support similar legislation in the House.

In our traditions, "to whom much is given, much is expected." As the largest employer in the nation, Wal-Mart is able to and does establish the national standards for work. We call upon Wal-Mart to become an ethical leader, paving the way for family wages and benefits, good jobs, and sweatshop-free merchandise. Wal-Mart has been given much. Much is expected!Watch the Wal-Mart Movie with Your Congregation
The best first step in getting your congregation educated and involved is to organize a group to watch the new documentary, Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Prices on Sunday, November 13. This movie is a great education and discussion starter. To order a copy of the DVD, visit their website.Some other things you can do are:

• Download IWJ's Higher Expectations Week Resource Guide, which includes readings, sample sermons, liturgies, and prayers on the Wal- Martization of the U.S. economy. Lead a small delegation of religious and community leaders to meet with the manager of your local Wal-Mart and ask about the wages and benefits paid in the store. Encourage your congregation to publicly choose Costco for its bulk purchases. Participate in campaigns seeking community benefit agreements when Wal-Mart wants to open a new store. Support city and state legislation that requires higher standards for large employers.
• See the last page of the IWJ resource guide or contact Kristi Sanford for more info on organizing these types of events.

If your congregation is participating in Higher Expectations Week, tell us! E-mail Kristi with the information on your events and include your congregation's name and address, as well as the phone number of a contact person.

Thank you for taking a stand for people whose voices are less heard, whether in the halls of Congress, or in the workplace for America's largest employer. Your support for ethical reconstruction of the Gulf-Coast and higher expectations for Wal-Mart is a model for strong support for working families.

Sincerely,