US bishops praise Archbishop Listecki’s statement on unions

February 25, 2011

Bishop Stephen E. Blaire of Stockton, chairman of the committee on domestic justice and human development of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, has praised Milwaukee Archbishop Jerome Listecki’s recent statement affirming the value of unions.

“The situation in Wisconsin is not unique,” said Bishop Blaire. “Other states and the federal government also face daunting challenges of growing budget deficits and how to allocate burdens and share sacrifice in ways that reflect principles of social justice, economic fairness and wise stewardship. Your efforts to share the consistent teaching of the Church in the midst of this controversy are an example for all of us on how to apply our moral principles to the ‘signs of the times.’”

Bishop Blaire added:

“You point out that Pope Benedict XVI, in Caritas in Veritate, states, “The repeated calls…for the promotion of workers' associations that can defend their rights must therefore be honoured today even more than in the past.” In Laborem Exercens, Pope John Paul II calls labor associations “an indispensable element of social life, especially in modern industrialized societies,” but also reminds unions “to secure the just rights of workers within the framework of the common good of the whole of society” …

Catholic teaching and your statement remind us these are not just political conflicts or economic choices; they are moral choices with enormous human dimensions. The debates over worker representation and collective bargaining are not simply matters of ideology or power, but involve principles of justice, participation and how workers can have a voice in the workplace and economy.

As you point out, “It does not follow from this that every claim made by workers or their representatives is valid. Every union, like every other economic actor, is called to work for the common good, to make sacrifices when required, and to adjust to new economic realities. However, it is equally a mistake to marginalize or dismiss unions as impediments to economic growth. As Pope John Paul II wrote in 1981, ‘[a] union remains a constructive factor of social order and solidarity, and it is impossible to ignore it.’”

 

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Further information:

• USCCB Chairman Supports Wisconsin Bishops on the Rights of Workers (USCCB)
• Wisconsin bishops are 'neutral' on union protests, bishop says (CWN, 2/24)
• Milwaukee archbishop affirms value of unions (CWN, 2/17)