Dolan, Catholic bishops back minimum wage hike

Cardinal Timothy Dolan and the state’s Catholic bishops issued a statement today in support of a “modest increase” in New York’s minimum wage, asking lawmakers to address the “grave problems facing the lowest wage earners in our state.”

The one-page statement paints the issue as “one of fairness and justice,” saying that the current rate of $7.25 is hurting the working poor in the midst of a recession.

Dolan is the archbishop of the New York state archdiocese.
“We don’t pretend to be economists, but we are pastors, and we do oversee the largest nongovernmental network of health, education and charitable ministries in the state,” reads the statement. “What we can tell you from first-hand experience is that it is becoming increasingly difficult for the working poor of our state to make ends.
2012-05-03 NYS Bishops Statement on Minimum Wage