Forty Inter-faith leaders, dressed in full regalia, along with members of their congregations, to stage a prayer rally THIS MORNING at City Hall pressuring city leaders to increase salaries and give benefits to hundreds of workers who currently do not earn a living wage.

Dozens of Christian, Jewish, and Muslim faith leaders, who believe prayer changes things, will dress in full regalia, and hold a prayer vigil TODAY May 16, 2013, at 9:30am, outside the Mayor's office inside Philadelphia City Hall. The diverse group of clergy leaders make up the community organizing group POWER (http://www.powerphiladelphia.org/) and they’re praying Mayor Michael Nutter and Philadelphia City Council will support a living wage for hundreds of workers at the Philadelphia International Airport. POWER's prayer rally precedes Thursday's regularly scheduled City Council meeting (10am) where a new Airport Lease Agreement is supposed to be introduced. The Lease Agreement will affect the lives of 1,500 airport workers including: sky caps, baggage handlers, airplane cabin cleaners and some security and janitorial workers. These airport employees currently earn less than a living wage which is compounded because they work without benefits. POWER is demanding that the new Airport Lease Agreement set a minimum wage rate of $10.88/per hour, and include benefits, which will create a bridge out of poverty. “U.S. Airways is one of the nation’s most profitable airlines and paid its CEO $5.5-million last year,” says Bishop Dwayne Royster, Executive Director of POWER. “We stand for the interests of airport workers like Tara, a baggage handler, paid a mere $7.25/hour with no benefits. Tara does not have enough money to support herself and her children and that’s not right.”