As I read posts about employers not paying employees what they deserve.. or not paying them at all.. my mind has drifted towards religious workers, their working conditions, and how those working conditions are “normal”.
I'm not talking about the Jeffries or Osteens or Grahams or Hagees of the world.
I'm talking about the religious worker who gets paid at a below-the-market rate, is paid inconsistently and it's subject to terms and conditions of employment no School District would allow… and it's all acceptable and normal because they're not “employees” but rather “independent contractors” or “called ministers” which, in turn, means labor laws can not be applied.
And it's no longer just the run-of-the-mill religious worker: many denominations are designating their clergy as “independent contractors” which exposes these clergy to the types of abuses we seen in the fast-food industry (low pay, inconsistent pay schedules, the “Karens” of the congregation, etc.). This is all accepted as “normal”, even “virtuous”.