Contact: Fabricio Rodriguez, Executive Director, Philadelphia Jobs with Justice, 215-670-5855, Fabricio@phillyjwj.org

For Immediate Release: September 3, 2008

“Blessing of the Hands” Ceremony for Museum Security Guards with Bishop Dwayne Royster

Religious Event will call on Museum to Provide Sub-Contracted Workers with Paid Sick-Leave

WHAT: Hundreds of campaign supporters will visit the museum wearing support stickers on September 7. Just before museum closing time, activists will converge in front of the museum for the “Blessing of the Hands Ceremony.” The Blessing of the Hands Ceremony will include security guard speakers, as well as live musical performances by John Braxton, Alicia Ortiz, Lee G. and Miguel Williams, live theater by the Student Labor Action Project. The event will culminate when security guards who are leaving work join their supporters after the museum closes at 5 pm. The guards will have their hands anointed with oil in a ceremony preformed by an interdenominational clergy group including Bishop Dwayne Royster, Living Water UCC; Reverend Jay Broadnax, Mt. Pisgah AME; Reverend Schaunel Steinnagel, Philadelphia Presbytery.

WHEN: Starting Time- 4:15 pm, Ending Time 5:20

WHERE: Philadelphia Museum of Art, 26th St and the Benjamin Franklin Parkway

BACKGROUND: The Philadelphia Officers and Workers Rising (POWR) campaign, a project of Jobs with Justice, seeks to improve wages and benefits for security guards at the Museum of Art and in Philadelphia. The group is encouraging leaders at the museum to raise the wages, benefit and training for guards. The groups first goal is to have the museum grant the guards paid sick-leave. A similar campaign has been victorious recently the University of Pennsylvania and Temple University. The museum guards earn less that the city mandated “living-wage.” The living wage ordinance mandates and company or non-profit receiving more than $100,000 from the City of Philadelphia should pay workers at least $10.67/hour and provide benefits such as sick-leave. The Blessing of the Hands Ceremony will highlight that the museum receives $2.5 million from the city and that sub-contracted guards receive $10.03/hour or less.

On Labor Day Weekend, 20 local churches made special prayer offerings for the security guards at the museum.

For more information, see: http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/PMALaborDay/ or http://phillyjwj.blogspot.com/
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