ECONOMIC JUSTICE
We desire a moral and communal economy based on the infinite value of human beings, not material objects.
OUR NORTH STAR
Our faith compels us to create a moral and communal economy where decisions about material goods are always made based on the inherent value of human beings.
- We have a moral obligation to share all resources justly. Our economy should function to equitably distribute these resources.
- No one should work full-time and struggle to make ends meet. A healthy economy means that people can exchange work they perform for the resources they need to live a life of economic security and safety.
- Decision-making power must be in the hands of the community. The ability to organize and bargain collectively is vital to maintaining a representative democracy that balances the power of corporations and billionaires.
We organize so all people have the right to live a life of economic dignity, to be able to develop to their full and powerful potential and contribute to the community through meaningful work.
ECONOMIC JUSTICE CAMPAIGNS
Update: On November 6, 2018, Colorado voted yes on Proposition 111 to cap predatory payday lending interest rates and fees.
We want to thank Together Colorado Board Members Rev. Dr. Anne Rice-Jones and Frank Tapy and Together Colorado Leader Shirley Richard for your leadership on Proposition 111. Rev. Dr. Anne, Shirley, and Frank all spent countless hours organizing to pass Proposition 111 by doing signature gathering, community and faith leader outreach, speaking engagements, literature drops, canvassing, and fundraising. Rev. Dr. Anne Rice-Jones and Frank Tapy also represented Together Colorado on Proposition 111’s Steering Committee.
Payday loans disproportionately affect vulnerable Coloradans, particularly minority neighborhoods, which are home to more payday lending stores even after accounting for income, age, and gender.
The Center for Responsible Lending (CRL) finds areas with over 50 percent black and Latino residents are seven times more likely to have a payday store than predominantly white areas (less than 10 percent black and Latino).
These loans had an average effective interest rate of 129 percent in 2016.
The Family and Medical Leave Insurance Act
Coloradans shouldn’t have to choose between work and caring for an ill family member, yet 88% of workers don’t have paid family leave. We must fight to place human dignity at the center of public life in Colorado.
During the 2019 legislative session, Together Colorado is supported the Family & Medical Leave Insurance Act for All Coloradans. This bill would have created a statewide family and medical leave insurance (FAMLI) program to provide partial wage-replacement benefits to an eligible individual who takes leave from work to care for a new child, a family member with a serious health condition, or who is unable to work due to the individual’s own serious longer-term health issue.
The 2019 bill was converted to a study. Together Colorado will continue to organize to pass paid family and medical leave in 2020.
Work Here, Thrive Here: Local Minimum Wage Option for Colorado Cities passed in 2019!
Colorado became the first state to legislatively remove the preemption law that prohibited cities from raising their minimum wages above the state level. Now, cities can raise their wages to a level needed for communities to thrive.
OTHER WORK
CLIMATE JUSTICE
The earth is sacred. We must live in balance with all of creation, using only what we need, and recognizing that there is enough for all.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE
We desire a merciful, rehabilitative justice system that maintains the hope and human dignity of every person.