CLN Testifies in Support The right of workers to form unions and bargain collectively is one of the first principles of modern Catholic Social Teaching. Pope Leo XIII first enunciated this right in his 1891 Encyclical Rerum Novarum, and Pope Benedict XIV reaffirmed this teaching in Caritas in Veritate, arguing that “the repeated calls issued […]
Sodexo food service workers from government agencies across Washington DC rallied Tuesday at the Capitol, following a similar action last week in New York City at the Federal Reserve. Represented by the hotel and food service union UNITE HERE, the workers, hard hit by inflation, are calling for a living wage in upcoming contracts. The […]
A Guest Contribution from CLN Member Greg Guthrie This e-book, Union Communion – Labor Unions and the Catholic Church, presents the Bishops’ authoritative annual Labor Day statements supporting labor unions. These statements are framed by commentary by America’s current preeminent Labor Priests, “America’s most prominent labor leader,” and the Catholic Labor Network. The book intends […]
A Labor Day Homily by Fr. Sinclair Oubre, Catholic Labor Network Spiritual Moderator In the Spring of 1995, Road Warriors from the United Paperworkers Union came to the Sabine Area Central Labor Committee meeting at the Oil Workers Union Hall in Port Arthur, Texas. They shared with us how the A.E. Staley Company had locked […]
A Labor Day Reflection from CLN Spiritual Moderator Fr. Sinclair Oubre “Cause if it’s always level on the floor where you’re working and your telephone is OSHA approved When you tell me how much you’re spending on safety, pardon me if I’m not moved. Ever since 1970 the law has been on my side. […]
New this year: Non-Tenure Track Faculty at Santa Clara University Happy Labor Day! Readers of this newsletter know well that for more than 130 years the Catholic Church has taught that workers have the right to organize in unions. This is no less true of workers at Catholic institutions than those at secular and for-profit […]
Church, Unions Mobilize in Support The United Farm Workers are on the march! In California members of the UFW set out from Delano on foot in the Summer heat August 3. They will arrive in Sacramento on August 26. What do they want? The right to vote by mail in union elections. A history lesson: […]
A Guest contribution by Mary Entoma, UNITE HERE Local 11 In the early hours of August 11th, Unite Here Local 11 members and community allies joined the United Farm Workers in their march to urge Gov. Gavin Newsom to sign AB 2183. Worker power filled the streets. Moved by their faith to join in, these […]
Window on National Campaign to Raise Standards for Airport Employees Thousands of airport employees in Northern Virginia, ranging from wheelchair attendants to aircraft cabin cleaners, lack paid sick days and regularly must work ill or injured. The Catholic Labor Network met some of those workers recently at a meeting organized by SEIU 32BJ, which represents […]
We’ve often heard it said that Catholic Social Teaching is the Church’s best-kept secret. The Church’s social doctrine offers a radical critique of today’s institutions that the US Conference of Catholic Bishops has broken into seven major themes, such as “Life and Dignity of the Human Person” and “Option for the Poor and Vulnerable.” Recently […]