WASHINGTON (August 25, 2005)—Labor Day is a time to reflect on the
teaching of Pope John Paul II on work and workers, according to the
chairman of the bishops’ domestic policy committee in the annual Labor Day
statement of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).
The first Labor Day since the death of Pope John Paul II “is a good time
to recall the constant teaching of the Pope,” said Bishop Nicholas
DiMarzio. Pope John Paul said that trade unions have “the Church’s defense
and approval,” and that unions are an “indispensable element of social
life, especially in modern industrial societies.” The new Holy Father,
Pope Benedict XVI, has affirmed this teaching, insisting it is “necessary
to witness in contemporary society to the ‘Gospel of Work,’ of which John
Paul II spoke in his encyclical Laborem Exercens.”
“However, on Labor Day 2005, there are some daunting challenges to how we
live ‘the Gospel of Work,’ and how we respect the dignity of work and the
rights of workers today,” Bishop DiMarzio said. “In this economy many are
moving forward, reaping the rewards of their education, skills and hard
work. Others can be left behind, hungry, homeless, or poor, often
struggling with rent or paying for decent health insurance. Families in
the middle can be one lost job, one major illness, one unanticipated
setback away from serious economic trouble. As their children grow,
parents are faced with balancing the costs of education and saving for
their own retirement. Too many families find it difficult to reconcile the
demands of work, the duties of family life, and the obligations of
community and spiritual life.”
Bishop DiMarzio pointed to troubling signs that reflect these pressures in
our economic life.
“--Sadly the American labor movement seems bitterly divided over
priorities, personalities, and how to move forward.
--The Central American Free Trade Agreement very narrowly passed Congress
after an angry debate about its impact on workers and farmers in the U.S.
and Central America.
--There is a growing conflict in some local communities, and on Wall
Street, about the obligations of large retailers and major employers to
their workers in the U.S. and around the world, and the communities they
serve.
--Workers in the automobile, airline and other industries confront ongoing
struggles over wages, work rules, health care, and pensions in the face of
new competition and new economic realities.
--Our nation debates how budgets, benefits, and sacrifices are to be
shared—who gains and who loses—in the midst of the war and deficits.
--The minimum wage, last raised in 1997, leaves a full-time worker with
two children below the poverty level, while the gap between executive and
worker compensation continues to widen dramatically.
--In a time of more retirees and longer life spans, discussion about
retirement—what it means and who will pay for it—begins with a polarized
debate about Social Security, but also extends to pensions, savings, and
taxes.
--The reality that many U.S. workers are immigrants too often leads to a
search for scapegoats rather than practical responses that recognize both
the humanity and contributions of these newcomers to our country.”
Bishop DiMarzio said the Catholic tradition offers a different way of
thinking about economic life than addressing problems in simplistic,
ideological, or polarized ways. The Bishops expressed key principles to
guide economic choices in their statement A Catholic Framework for
Economic Life.
Those principles included the idea that a fundamental moral measure of any
economy is how the poor and vulnerable are faring; that all people, to the
extent they are able, have a corresponding duty to work, a responsibility
to provide for the needs of their families, and an obligation to
contribute to the broader society; that workers, owners, managers,
stock-holders, and consumers are moral agents in economic life; and that
the global economy has moral dimensions and human consequences.
“To move forward, our nation needs a strong and growing economy, strong
and productive businesses and industries, and a strong and united labor
movement. In Catholic teaching, it is up to workers to choose how they
wish to be represented in the workplace, and they should be able to make
these decisions freely without intimidation or reprisal. When management
and union representatives negotiate a contract or settle disputes, they
should pursue justice and fairness, not just economic advantage,” Bishop
DiMarzio said. “On this Labor Day all of us are called to look at the
economy from the ‘bottom up’: how our economic choices (i.e., work,
investments, spending,) affect ‘the least of these---poor families,
vulnerable workers, and those left behind.”
Copies of the Labor Day statement are available from the United States
Conference of Catholic Bishops Office of Domestic Social Development,
202-541-3185, www.usccb.org/sdwp.
The full text of the statement follows.
LABOR DAY STATEMENT
Labor Day 2005: Work, Pope John Paul II, and Catholic Teaching
Most Reverend Nicholas DiMarzio, D.D., Ph.D.
Bishop of Brooklyn
Chairman, Domestic Policy Committee
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
September 5, 2005
Labor Day marks an end and a beginning. It represents the real end of
summer and the beginning of a new year of school and work. Vacations are
over. Classes are starting. The football season is underway. Soon the
leaves and seasons will begin to change. For many, Labor Day may be a time
for a final picnic, a back-to-school shopping trip, yard work or
relaxation.
But Labor Day should be more than just a date on a calendar and a long
holiday weekend. This holiday was established to honor American workers.
It is a time to pause and reflect on the meaning of work, the
contributions of workers, and the important role of the labor movement in
our economy and nation.
Pope John Paul II and Catholic Teaching
In our Catholic tradition, work is more than a way to make a living. It is
not a burden, but a blessing. Work is an expression of our dignity and a
contribution to the common good. In spiritual terms, work is a way to
participate in God’s continuing work of creation. This particular Labor
Day is the first since the death of John Paul II; it seems a good time to
recall the constant teaching and courageous leadership of our beloved Pope
on work and the rights of workers. For three decades, he insisted work is
not a burden, but “expresses the human vocation to service and
solidarity.”i He declared that “[H]uman work is a key, probably
the essential key to the whole social question.”ii He taught
that workers have “the right to establish professional associations,” and
that trade unions have “the Church’s defense and approval.”iii
According to Pope John Paul II, unions have a role, “not only in
negotiating contracts, but also as ‘places’ where workers can express
themselves. They serve the development of an authentic culture of work and
help workers to share in a fully human way in the life of their place of
employment.”iv He said unions are an “indispensable element of
social life, especially in modern industrial societies.”v
Our new Holy Father, Benedict XVI, also has affirmed this teaching,
insisting it is “necessary to witness in contemporary society to the
‘Gospel of work,’vi of which John Paul II spoke in his
Encyclical Laborem Exercens. I hope that work will be available,
especially for young people, and that working conditions may be ever more
respectful of the dignity of the human person.”vii
The U.S. Economy: Blessed and Challenged
This “Gospel of work” needs to be proclaimed and practiced in our own
lives and in the broader economy. In the United States, we are blessed to
have the resources and knowledge, technology and tools, as well as
businesses and unions, markets and laws which together contribute to the
world’s most powerful and productive economy. At its best, the U.S.
economy is shaped by a tradition of economic freedom and initiative, a
commitment to “liberty and justice for all,” an ethic of hard work, and a
spirit of generosity and sacrifice.
However, on Labor Day 2005, there are some daunting challenges to how we
live “the Gospel of work,” and how we respect the dignity of work and the
rights of workers today. In this economy many are moving forward, reaping
the rewards of their education, skills, and hard work. Others can be left
behind, hungry, homeless, or poor, often struggling with rent or paying
for decent health insurance. Families in the middle can be one lost job,
one major illness, one unanticipated setback away from serious economic
trouble. As their children grow, parents are faced with balancing the
costs of education and saving for their own retirement. Too many families
find it difficult to reconcile the demands of work, the duties of family
life, and the obligations of community and spiritual life.
“Signs of the Times”
These pressures are reflected in some of the troubling “signs of the
times” within economic and public life:
- Sadly the American labor movement seems bitterly divided over
priorities, personalities, and how to move forward.
- The Central American Free Trade Agreement very narrowly passed Congress
after an angry debate about its impact on workers and farmers in the U.S.
and Central America.
- There is a growing conflict in some local communities, and on Wall
Street, about the obligations of large retailers and major employers to
their workers in the U.S. and around the world, and the communities they
serve.
- Workers in the automobile, airline, and other industries confront
ongoing struggles over wages, work rules, health care, and pensions in the
face of new competition and new economic realities.
- Our nation debates how budgets, benefits, and sacrifices are to be
shared—who gains and who loses—in the midst of the war and deficits.
- The minimum wage, last raised in 1997, leaves a full-time worker with
two children below the poverty level, while the gap between executive and
worker compensation continues to widen dramatically.
- In a time of more retirees and longer life spans, discussion about
retirement—what it means and who will pay for it—begins with a polarized
debate about Social Security, but also extends to pensions, savings, and
taxes.
- The reality that many U.S. workers are immigrants too often leads to a
search for scapegoats rather than practical responses that recognize both
the humanity and contributions of these newcomers to our economy.
A Catholic Framework for Economic Life
Unfortunately, these challenges often are addressed in simplistic,
ideological, and polarized ways. For example, “the market is always right”
or “government should fix it.” “Globalization is the solution” or
“globalization is the problem.” The Catholic tradition offers a different
way of thinking about economic life. Through the centuries, the Church has
looked to the scriptures and to its own moral teaching to develop a number
of key principles to guide economic choices. These principles are found in
A Catholic Framework for Economic Life:viii
1. The economy exists for the person, not the person for the economy.
2. All economic life should be shaped by moral principles. Economic
choices and institutions must be judged by how they protect or undermine
the life and dignity of the human person, support the family, and serve
the common good.
3. A fundamental moral measure of any economy is how the poor and
vulnerable are faring.
4. All people have a right to life and to secure the basic necessities of
life (e.g., food, clothing, shelter, education, health care, safe
environment, economic security).
5. All people have the right to economic initiative, to productive work,
to just wages and benefits, to decent working conditions, as well as to
organize and join unions or other associations.
6. All people, to the extent they are able, have a corresponding duty to
work, a responsibility to provide for the needs of their families, and an
obligation to contribute to the broader society.
7. In economic life, free markets have both clear advantages and limits;
government has essential responsibilities and limitations; voluntary
groups have irreplaceable roles, but cannot substitute for the proper
working of the market and the just policies of the state.
8. Society has a moral obligation, including governmental action where
necessary, to assure opportunity, meet basic human needs, and pursue
justice in economic life.
9. Workers, owners, managers, stock-holders, and consumers are moral
agents in economic life. By our choices, initiative, creativity, and
investment, we enhance or diminish economic opportunity, community life,
and social justice.
10. The global economy has moral dimensions and human consequences.
Decisions on investment, trade, aid and development should protect human
life and promote human rights, especially for those most in need wherever
they might live on this globe.
According to Pope John Paul II, the Catholic tradition calls for a
“society of work, enterprise and participation” which “is not directed
against the market, but demands that the market be appropriately
controlled by the forces of society and by the state to assure that the
basic needs of the whole society are satisfied.”ix
A “Leaven” in Economic Life
In our tradition, believers are called to be the “salt of the earth,” the
“light of the world,” a “leaven” in economic and social life.x
Catholics are everywhere in our economy: we are corporate executives and
migrant farm workers, lawmakers and welfare recipients, university
presidents and child care workers, computer programmers and farmers,
office and factory workers, union leaders and small business owners. In
all these arenas, we are called to live out “the Gospel of work” and the
principles of Catholic teaching.
To move forward, our nation needs a strong and growing economy, strong and
productive businesses and industries, and a strong and united labor
movement. In Catholic teaching, it is up to workers to choose how they
wish to be represented in the workplace and they should be able to make
these decisions freely without intimidation or reprisal. When management
and union representatives negotiate a contract or settle disputes, they
should pursue justice and fairness, not just economic advantage. When our
leaders pass laws, adopt regulations, or negotiate and debate trade
agreements, they should seek the common good and focus on the needs of the
weak. On this Labor Day, all of us are called to look at the economy from
the “bottom up:” how our economic choices (i.e., work, investments,
spending) affect “the least of these”—poor families, vulnerable workers,
and those left behind.
Labor Day 2005
This year we should take a break from the picnics, shopping, or relaxation
to remember why we celebrate this holiday. Let us recall the constant plea
of Pope John Paul II to live in “solidarity” and his consistent defense of
the right to decent work, fair wages, and full worker participation in
economic life. Let us thank God for our many blessings and ask His help in
living out “the Gospel of work” and making His “kingdom come, on earth as
it is in heaven.” This is the legacy of Pope John Paul II and our task
this Labor Day.
i General Audience, Feast of St. Joseph the Workers, March 19,
1997
ii Laborem Exercens, #3.
iii Centesimus Annus, #7.
iv Ibid. 15.
v Laborem Exercens, #20.
vi In Laborem Exercens (#6), Pope John Paul II says the “Gospel
of work” shows that “the basis for determining the value of human work is
not primarily the kind of work being done but the fact that the one who is
doing it is a person.”
vii Angelus, May 2005.
viii A Catholic Framework for Economic Life, A Statement of the
U.S. Bishops, 1996.
ix Centesimus Annus, #35.
x Mt 5:13; Gaudium et Spes #40.
Additional copies are available from
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
Office of Domestic Social Development
3211 Fourth Street, NE, Washington, DC 20017
(202)541-3185
www.usccb.org/sdwp