America’s summer of strikes is reaching its crescendo with an industrial dispute in the US auto industry. The legendary United Auto Workers (UAW) union represents some 150,000 workers who build cars for General Motors, Ford and Stellantis (Fiat/Chrysler), and when their contract expired last week union members began striking selected plants. What’s the fight about? […]
Bishops’ 2023 Labor Day Statement Every year, the Chairman of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development issues a Labor Day statement. The statement reflects on conditions in the world in light of Catholic Social Teaching. The current chair of the committee is Archbishop Borys Gudziak of the Ukrainian […]
September 4 at 12pm ET The Catholic Labor Network is pleased to announce that Bishop David Toups, Bishop of the Diocese of Beaumont in Texas will celebrate our annual Labor Day Mass. Our Spiritual Moderator Fr. Sinclair Oubre, a member of the Seafarers International Union, will concelebrate. They will be assisted by Deacon Steve Oberneufemann, […]
For actors and hotel workers, the fight continues The Catholic Labor Network is pleased to report that UPS and the Teamsters have reached a tentative contract agreement. If ratified, the country will be spared a much-feared strike by more than 300,000 drivers and warehouse workers that would have snagged supply chains in every corner of […]
A guest contribution from CLN Member Anna Harrison On March 30, 2022, corresponding with Loyola Marymount University’s annual Cesar Chavez Day, when Facilities Management [FM] workers are feted with a free meal and an Interfaith Prayer Service acknowledges their labor, an anonymous group of FM workers distributed an open letter. It read, in part, “It […]
Courtesy of CLN Member Jeremy DaCruz In February 2023, the Lawrence Cafeteria Workers (SEIU Local 3) went public with their demand that the School District extend a stipend which Lunch Aides at the smaller City of Lawrence Public Schools negotiated to Cafeteria Workers. This stipend was paid out for maintaining ServSafe Certification while working for […]
A guest contribution from CLN Member John McNay Two bills have been introduced in the Ohio legislature that are at odds with Catholic doctrine regarding labor unions. The leading advocate for the legislation is Sen. Jerry Cirino, a Republican from Kirtland, Ohio. He introduced SB 83 and it has a companion bill in the House, […]
a guest contribution from Anna Nowalk, CLN Member All Who Labor is a podcast that explores Catholic labor history and recent labor activism, particularly as it relates to the COVID-19 pandemic. I began the project as a Duffy Fellow at Fordham University; the first season, now complete, was supported by Fordham’s Center on Religion and […]
The Catholic Labor Network is pleased to report that food service workers at Loyola University in New Orleans won union representation with UNITE HERE Local 23 on April 28. After a year-long campaign closely monitored by the Catholic Labor Network, workers now will have an opportunity to negotiate a contract with Sodexo, the French multinational […]
May 1, international workers’ day, is celebrated in the Catholic Church as the Feast of St Joseph the Worker. For the occasion, Catholic Labor Network Spiritual Moderator Fr. Sinclair Oubre offers the following reflection: St. Joseph: A Servant Worker As a young seminarian, I came across the writings of Fr. Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, S.J. […]