Is UCU a Labor Union?
No. The United Covenant Union is a faith-based community union. A labor union is an organization of workers at a specific work site which engages in collective bargain (or negotiate) with an employer on the wages, schedules, and benefits of the workers. The United Covenant Union believes that workers have the right to form unions and collectively bargain. We partner with labor unions to address poverty in the community. While the word “union” is in our name, it just means “association.”
Is UCU a Church?
No! The United Covenant Union is an interfaith community union. We work with churches and congregations of different faiths. We deeply appreciate the role congregations play in society. As an organization, we do not have our own doctrine, statements of faith, or rules to live by. We are an association of people of all faiths who work for economic justice in our community.
Is UCU interfaith, and if so, why?
YES! The United Covenant Union was founded in part by Jewish community organizers. Membership in UCU is open to people of all faiths, or persons without faith. We believe all faiths call us to embrace God’s justice, and that we are stronger when people of different faiths work together.
How is UCU Funded?
The United Covenant Union is funded through grants from foundations, membership dues, and individual donations. We do not receive any government contracts to do our work.
What is a cash worker? What is this 'informal economy' thing?
See the following definitions:
Informal Worker
A worker who has no documented employment relationship with an entity.
Cash Worker
A worker who is paid in cash for their labor and services. The types of cash workers are the following:
- Domestic Worker
- Day Laborer
- Street Vendor / Canner
- Tipped Workers
Gig Worker
A worker who has a written or oral contract to perform a specific task.
Tipped Worker
A worker who earns a subminimum wage, plus earns cash tips in addition to that wage.
Informal / Cash Economy
The economic system where people are paid in cash "off the books" and are not technically employed by an entity.
Why are UCU chapels called "chapels?"
In the seventeenth century, the printer’s union organized itself into “chapels,’ which organized workers on the shop floor and to do good work in the community. UCU members wanted to reclaim this tradition, by calling their peer groups “chapels," since they are both rooted in faith, and an association of workers and families.
A UCU chapel is not a church. Ideally, a UCU chapel will feed into a specific congregation. UCU chapels have prayer services, but do not host life cycle services or offer sacraments like a church. Like a hospital or university chapel, they connect people to congregations, but are not technically one themselves.
Are clergy becoming part of the gig economy?
Yes and No. Some clergy are full-time employees of their congregation. Other clergy might only be half-time or quarter-time employees of their congregation, and are bi-vocational, which means they have another job. Another cohort of clergy are supply pastors, which means they earn $200 or so a week, and sign a contract at the end of each service for next week’s service. In a decade, it is expected that one third of clergy will be full-time, one third will be part time, and one third will be supply-status. However, many clergy who are retired or bi-vocational are taking supply preaching gigs at funerals, or weddings as a way to earn needed income. There is an increasing demand for supply preachers at funerals and weddings to officiate the service, especially as congregational membership declines