Why don’t more follow? As a proud member of the Laborers International Union of North America (LIUNA), the union of construction laborers, I am aware that there are still some career paths outside the college track that will earn you a family-supporting wage. One of the best starts with a union-sponsored apprenticeship in one of […]
In December 2021, a group of Starbucks Baristas in Buffalo NY voted to form a union, Starbucks Workers United, affiliated with the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). Their example spread like wildfire, with employees at dozens and then hundreds of other locations voting to join the union. Today more than 10,000 workers at 440 stores […]
Masses, prayers mark Workers’ Memorial Day, Feast of St Joseph the Worker Late Spring witnesses two major calendar dates for Catholic worker justice activists. April 28 is Workers’ Memorial Day, a holiday when the trade union movement remembers workers who have died on the job. And May 1 is observed worldwide as a holiday honoring […]
This spring, the Catholic Labor Network is in a time of revisioning and renewal. In this spirit, we held two open meetings to members and subscribers to our newsletter on March 2 and 5, seeking input from our supporters on priorities for the network. We want to hear from the wider faith and labor community […]
By Mark Pattison for the Catholic Labor Network They came by the hundreds for Mass. That’s fairly typical on a Sunday morning. But a Thursday afternoon at 5 p.m.? It was Workers Memorial Day. Hundreds of union members and apprentices in the construction trades, along with members of other unions and some government officials and […]
More than one million American workers are employed by Catholic hospitals, schools and other institutions. The Bishops’ 1986 pastoral letter Economic Justice for All reminded those managing these institutions that the Church’s social teaching on labor and workers’ rights applies to workers employed by the Church. “On the parish and diocesan level, through its agencies […]
Beginning April 22, Catholic Labor Network member and Arbitrator Michael Loconto will lead an online course on “Hot Topics in Workplace Disputes” through the Boston Labor Guild’s School of Labor-Management Relations. The course will feature ten arbitrators from around the country discussing a wide range of developing issues that are facing employees and employers in […]
By Mark Pattison for the Catholic Labor Network What a wonderful world it would be if Catholic employers lived by their church’s social teaching, and not just on Sundays. For an example of what that would be like, you need look no further than Bazaar, the new Jose Andres Group restaurant residing in the Waldorf […]
By Mark Pattison for the Catholic Labor Network It’s not every day that you see a labor guild of any type, much less one that accepts managers – and even lawyers – as members. Ladies and gentlemen, meet the Boston Labor Guild. “The Labor Guild is actually a neutral organization,” says Lisa Field, the Guild’s […]
By Mark Pattison for the Catholic Labor Network Thousands of workers at two dozen hotels in the Los Angeles area won contracts by the end of 2023 as UNITE HERE Local 11 has waged a campaign since April to win improved pay and benefits for union members – but thousands more are still waiting […]