Dear ,

Less than two weeks after Easter and Passover, and two days before Eid-ul-Fitr marks the end of Ramadan, VICPP is partnering with airport workers and their unions to seek health insurance and paid sick days for contracted airport workers at the two major airports in northern Virginia – Dulles International (also called IAD) and National (also called DCA or Reagan National, but I still can’t call National Airport after the president who fired the air traffic controllers.) 

The core values of these three faith traditions, Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, call us to love our neighbor as ourselves and stand up for the poor and the immigrant. Easter celebrates Christ’s victory over death after he was killed for his radical teaching and practices of healing the sick, feeding the hungry, and caring for the poor. Passover reminds the Jewish people of how God led people out of bondage. Ramadan is a time of increased prayer, fasting, giving, and charity.

More than 5,000 people are subcontracted workers at the airport. This workforce is powered by Black, Brown, and immigrant workers who are struggling to make ends meet trying to live and work in one of the most expensive areas in the country. Workers need affordable health insurance and paid sick days. 

The airports are overseen by the Metropolitan Washington Airport Authority (MWAA). This Authority could set a standard for benefits for these workers. We think it should. 

We are supporting a public event and rally for these airport workers at the MWAA headquarters. At the end of the event, we will deliver the letter signed already by more than 300 people of faith calling upon the MWAA to set standards for these workers. Come to the event and learn more from the workers about their situation, support them, and join in delivering the letter. The event will be as follows:  

What: Faith-Rooted Action for NOVA Airport Workers 
When: April 19th, 11:45 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. 
Where: MWAA HQ, Two Potomac Yard, 2733 Crystal Drive, Arlington, VA, 22202  
To register for this event, click HERE.  

• If you haven’t yet, sign the letter calling upon the MWAA to set standards for living wages, affordable healthcare, and paid sick days by clicking HERE.  

If you have questions, want to bring a group of people, or are interested in participating by leading a prayer or offering words of encouragement, please contact VICPP Economic Justice Program Manager Jase Hatcher at: Jase@virginiainterfaithcenter.org

We will continue advocating policy increases in the minimum wage and a paid sick day standard, but meanwhile, we will also encourage employers to do the right thing and set standards for their own workers. MWAA could improve our airports by supporting its workers. 

In solidarity, 

Kim Bobo
Executive Director

Join the James River and the Hampton Roads chapters of VICPP to push back against the dominant story of gun violence in our culture. Chapter leaders have invited bestselling author and renowned activist Shane Claiborne of RAWtools, Inc. from Philadelphia to Newport News. Together, we will decommission a gun and, using a blacksmith shop, forge it into a garden tool. The event will take place at St. John’s Church of God in Christ in Newport News, Virginia.

Shane is a self-described “champion for grace” who values helping unhoused people, protesting against wars, advocating for the end of the death penalty, and supporting methods to end gun violence. He has worked with Mother Teresa in Calcutta, founded The Simple Way in Philadelphia, and heads up Red Letter Christians. Together with RAWtools founder Mike Martin, Shane wrote Beating Guns.

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