Former Sen. John Edwards said raising the state minimum wage is "one of the great moral causes of our time" during a speech Tuesday in Phoenix.
"The character of America is at stake in this fight against poverty," Edwards said during his 30-minute appearance at the Church of the Beatitudes in Phoenix.
More than 250 supporters and activists came to hear the former democratic senator from North Carolina speak. Edwards was Sen. John Kerry's (D-Mass.) running mate in the 2004 United States Presidential Election.
The speech, sponsored by the AFL-CIO and the Arizona Minimum Wage Coalition, is part of Edwards' One America Committee multi-state speaking tour.
The tour is stopping in states that maintain the federally mandated $5.15 minimum hourly wage.
"We value work, not just wealth," Edwards said. "When are we going to say, 'If you're an American and you're working full time, never are we going to allow you live in poverty'?"
Edwards said the current minimum wage has not kept pace with inflation, and is only worth about $4.75 in real dollars, lower than it was in 1979. He also said the Bush administration is "ignoring" the need for a higher minimum wage.
Edwards called on young people to take up the task of working toward a higher minimum wage, comparing the struggle to that of the youth movement protesting the Vietnam War in the '60s.
"This could be the cause of your generation," Edwards said.
During a press conference after the event, Edwards called the movement to raise minimum wage his current life's work. He also said raising the minimum wage would not send more jobs overseas or encourage domestic employers to utilize more illegal immigrant labor.
Local religious leaders said people have a moral responsibility to advocate wages upon which people can live.
Jan Flaaten, director of the Arizona Ecumenical Council, described the efforts to raise minimum wage as a "moral issue," and drew applause when he said protecting the poor was a responsibility of Christians.
"I can't begin to count the number of times the scriptures are very clear in calling for economic justice," Flaaten said. "Taking advantage of the worker is a sin, and if the number of times it appears is any indication, a big sin."
The event also featured a speech by Trina Zelle, a clerk at the Church of the Beatitudes, who drew thunderous applause when she called on authorities of faith to protect the disadvantaged.
"I wish some of my ministerial colleagues who quote so fervently from scripture would remember the Bible's focus on economic justice and God's preference for the poor," Zelle said.
Kerry supporters largely made up the crowd. One of them, 26-year-old Gilbert resident Tamsyn Hall, said she voted for the ticket in 2004 and supported Edwards' post-election work.
"Minimum wage needs to be no less than $7 an hour," said Hall, a manager at Main Street Grill in Mesa. "Every single one of my employees has more than one job because they can't live with just one."
Adam Reller, 24, of Mesa, said the minimum wage level affects him a lot as a waiter. Originally from El Paso, Texas, Reller said the cost of living throughout the United States requires more money than the current minimum wage provides.
"A studio apartment in El Paso is $250 per month, and here it's $450," Reller said. "Either way, when you're making $200 a week it's not enough."
Reach the reporter at jason.ludwig@asu.edu.
