TUESDAY MORNING

95-GS-66 VOTED: The Twentieth General Synod adopts the "Proposal for Action on Fair and Just Compensation: Church as Employer."

PROPOSAL FOR ACTION ON FAIR AND JUST COMPENSATION: THE CHURCH AS EMPLOYER

WHEREAS the Twentieth General Synod has adopted a pronouncement calling the United Church of Christ to fairly and justly compensate persons called and employed by the church;

WHEREAS the General Synod in a statement of Christian conviction outlines elements which participate in furthering just and fair compensation, the Twentieth General Synod:

1) Calls upon local churches to:
A) Assign responsibility within local church structures to advocate and support fair and just compensation of those called and employed. Attention needs to be given to the presence of

• fair and just salaries, housing allowances and benefits;
  
• fair and just personnel polices;
  
• fair and just attention to the connection between one's sense of calling and the work expected to be done; and
  
• fair and just treatment in terms of a safe working climate and workplace;

B) Distinguish between work to be done by those who volunteer and work for which economic and related compensation is to be provided;

C) Assess their capacity to raise additional funds or whether alternative models of staffing are appropriate if fair and just compensation cannot be achieved otherwise;

D) Recognize and address any complicity in effecting lower salaries, housing allowances, and benefits provided clergywomen compared to male counterparts;

E) Not discriminate in compensation and benefits on the basis of ethnic and racial background, gender, sexual orientation, age, and/or disabilities; and

F) Be open to request and receive activity of covenantal partners in behalf of fair and just compensation;

2) Calls upon those called and employed to:

A) Forthrightly engage calling and employing bodies to provide fair and just compensation; and
B) Network with others who are similarly called and employed for purposes of support, growth and advocacy;

3) Calls upon conferences and associations to:

A) Continue or develop efforts resulting in conference or association compensation guidelines and seek their formal adoption by conference, association and local church bodies with attention to:

• various categories of work including those relating to pastors, associate pastors, educators, musicians, support staff and other categories as they seem appropriate -- fulltime and part-time;
  
• advocate standard benefits for employees working twenty hours per week or more and the need for compliance with state and federal law regarding Social Security taxes and unemployment insurance; and
• provide guidance and encouragement in relation to the development of personnel policies;
  

B) Provide structural responsibility for advocacy and support for all aspects of fair and just compensation by:

• affirming the worth and dignity of all persons called and employed;
  
• regular education and support of the local church as employer; and
• monitoring adherence to conference and association compensation guidelines and encouraging changes when they are not being met;

C) Develop and implement strategies to work with situations in which income, membership and average attendance contribute to unfair and unjust compensation, including the exploration of::

• increasing income;
  
• other staffing models worthy of consideration; and the pooling of salaries and pension contributions by churches and those called and employed;
  

D) Give special attention to levels of compensation having disproportionate impact on racial/ethnic persons, women, gay/lesbian/bisexual persons, persons in all age groups and/or persons with disabilities;

E) Provide for strategic interventions when aware that safe working climate and workplace are not present, particularly in situations where destructive conflict and history of mistreatment of staff are present;

F) Be supportive of, and relate to, concerns raised by networks of persons who are similarly called and employed;

G) Offer counsel and advocacy in behalf of pension participation;

H) Secure and make strategic use of research available through the Research Office of the United Church Board for Homeland Ministries; and

I) Monitor and address internal employment practices in relation to the fair and just employment of those called and employed by the conference and association;

4) Calls the Office for Church Life and Leadership to convene instrumentalities and other national entities to envision and implement a division of labor that:

A) Works with, supports and becomes aware of and shares learning generated by conferences, associations and national settings of the UCC, as well as those coming from other denominations and entities that address fair and just compensation;

B) Recognizes and engages in efforts which encourage the fair and just compensation of all women and further research related to persons called and employed by the church;

C) Wherever possible secures sufficient data from which to generate reliable information regarding compensation/benefits for racial/ethnic persons, women, gay/lesbian/bisexual persons, persons in all age groups and persons with disabilities;

D) Reports to the Twenty-first General Synod of the United Church of Christ a survey of the present compensation of lay persons employed by the church and corresponding recommendations; and

E) Reports church-wide effort in relation to fair and just compensation to the Twenty-second General Synod of the United Church of Christ;

5) Calls upon all national settings of the United Church of Christ to monitor their own internal employment practices in relation to the fair and just employment of persons called and employed by these settings; and

6) Calls upon the Committee on Structure to provide for structural responsibility and capacity to generate ongoing advocacy and support for fair and just compensation.

Subject to the availability of funds.