Did you know that churches, other religious institutions, including religious school are not required to provide unemployment insurance?  Religious organizations, especially, should not be exempt from being responsible employers but lead by example. Right now, when these employees are let go, they have no help available to them. 

This was especially painful during the pandemic. At a time when we should have been helping each other most, employees of religious organizations were just dismissed and had no recourse. These are the people behind the scenes. These are the people that were not physically in the office, but were at home scrambling to make things work anyway. Often, these employees feel strong ties and dedication to their employers, but aren't provided with a benefit available to most every other employer.

This is a petition to require that religious organizations also be required to provide unemployment benefits to their employees. Religion should be leading the way as good leaders and employers. Members of congregations should support their church staff in this way as well.

This does not include some positions, such as church ministers, who are legally treated differently and not as employees (that's a question for your attorney). The rest of the staff is important as well and should be treated as such. 

Thank you for helping the future employees of religious organizations get the same benefits as other companies.