Parish Social Ministry Highlights: August 2016

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PRAYER BEFORE AN ELECTION

Lord God, as the election approaches,

we seek to better understand the issues and concerns that confront our city/state/country,

and how the Gospel compels us to respond as faithful citizens in our community.

We ask for eyes that are free from blindness

so that we might see each other as brothers and sisters,

one and equal in dignity,

especially those who are victims of abuse and violence, deceit and poverty.

We ask for ears that will hear the cries of children unborn and those abandoned,

Men and women oppressed because of race or creed, religion or gender.

We ask for minds and hearts that are open to hearing the voice of leaders who will bring us

closer to your Kingdom.

We pray for discernment

so that we may choose leaders who hear your Word,

live your love,

and keep in the ways of your truth

as they follow in the steps of Jesus and his Apostles

and guide us to your Kingdom of justice and peace.

We ask this in the name of your Son Jesus Christ and through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

Make Noise: A Follow-up How will you lead your committee and then lead the parish to justice? How will you make noise? #1 New Office Webpage: pdxlifejusticepeace.org or ljp.archdpdx.org Pay attention to http://ljp.archdpdx.org/resources-2, especially Watch, Give, Read. These are here for you and your ministries. #2 Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship http://ljp.archdpdx.org/faithful-citizenship

A teaching document on the political responsibility of Catholics, representing their guidance for Catholics in the exercise of their rights and duties as participants in our democracy. The USCCB’s Faithful Citizenship materials and an Archdiocesan summary brochure are the only campaign materials approved for distribution on parish property. Want copies for your parish? Just ask the Office! #3 Parish Social Ministry http://ljp.archdpdx.org/tools-for-your-parish-ministry Do not hesitate to contact the Office if you need resources, have questions, want my help, or want me to come to your meetings or parish.

Parish Social Ministry Highlights: August 2016

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#4 WORKS OF MERCY http://ljp.archdpdx.org/works-of-mercy Use these to become a ministry and involve your parish. #5 Take Advantage of Any Reasonable Calendar Event to Tie in Catholic Social Teaching Example: The Works of Mercy http://pdxlifejusticepeace.org/mercy-by-month Example: Labor Day. Fathers Chuck Lienert, Joe McMahon and Ted Frison and other members of the Committee on Pastoral Ministry and Labor Justice presented on

The purpose and scope of their work

Bulletin and liturgical resources for Labor Day weekend in parishes. The entire presentation was a highlight! See the following pages for the 2016 Labor Day Resources for parishes and pastors. Closing Prayer: I Give Praise to You, Father Father God, make me speak praise today, not poison; make me intentionally give you glory throughout the day, that my day doesn’t unintentionally crumble into grumbling. In thanking you in all things, I am saved from discouragement in all things, and this today is my earnest prayer: Make me praise, not destroy. AMEN

Labor Day Weekend (September 3 – 5) provides a special opportunity to remind our parishioners of the

Church’s current and long-standing support of the rights of workers to a fair and just wage and her

active support of the crucial role of labor unions. To that end we encourage parish ministers to promote

as many of the following activities as they deem appropriate for their parish:

1. Include materials in the Sunday bulletin that reference the active support of the popes and the

American bishops for economic justice for workers as well as support for unions and labor

organizations. Attached is a copy the 2013 Labor Day Statement by the USCCB* on the effects

of economic inequality on workers. We have also included a bulletin insert of papal statements

regarding worker rights and labor unions.

2. The enclosed Labor Day Statement Supplemental Aids provides additional suggestions including

the theme of justice for workers in the Sunday Liturgy.

3. If you are willing to include the importance of economic justice for workers and the plight of low

wage workers in your homily, you can find additional suggestions in the paper Preaching about

Justice in the Parish.

4. This year Portland Jobs with Justice is focusing their efforts on the problem of “wage theft” in

Oregon and throughout the country. NETWORK, the National Catholic Social Justice Lobby,

provides this description of the problem on their website [www.networklobby.org/]:

NETWORK believes that all workers deserve the wages they’ve earned, and although wage theft

occurs in almost every sector of the workforce, it often goes unnoticed and unrecognized. Wage

theft is the illegal underpayment or non-payment of workers’ wages. The most common forms of

wage theft are not paying minimum wage, not paying overtime, requiring workers to work off

the clock, refusing to pay workers’ final paychecks, misclassifying employees as independent

contracts to avoid paying minimum wage and overtime, not paying for breaks as required by

state laws, and stealing tips. When employers choose to commit wage theft they not only steal

from workers, they also steal from public revenue that funds important and needed resources for

communities. Policies that helps stop wage theft include encouraging the Department of Labor

(DOL) to be more active in stopping wage theft, requiring employers to give paystubs to all

employees, and allowing workers to file private suits while the DOL is still investigating

complaints.

Additional information on wage theft can be found on this website:

http://wagetheft.org/wordpress/?page_id=1511#whatis

*[The 2016 USCCB Labor Day Statement will be published in mid-August.]

Department of Justice, Peace and Human Development 3211 4th St. NE · Washington, DC 20017 · (202)541-3160 · usccb.org/jphd

The Catholic Church has a well-documented tradition on labor and unions, rooted in the human right of association. This document excerpts passages that highlight this tradition. This document is intended to serve as a primer on this issue; it is not comprehensive. To read the complete text of a cited document, simply click on the title. Emphasis is added.

Selected Quotations from Catholic Social Thought on the Rights and Responsibilities of Workers and Labor Unions

The Hundredth Year (Centesimus Annus) Pope John Paul II, 1991

Furthermore, society and the State must ensure wage levels adequate for the maintenance of the worker and his family, including a certain amount for savings. This requires a continuous effort to improve workers' training and capability so that their work will be more skilled and productive, as well as careful controls and adequate legislative measures to block shameful forms of exploitation, especially to the disadvantage of the most vulnerable workers, of immigrants and of those on the margins of society. The role of trade unions in negotiating minimum salaries and working conditions is decisive in this area. (no. 15)

Economic Justice for All U.S. Catholic Bishops, 1986

No one may deny the right to organize without attacking human dignity itself. Therefore, we firmly oppose organized efforts, such as those regrettably now seen in this country, to break existing unions and prevent workers from organizing. (no. 104) Perhaps the greatest challenge facing U.S. workers and unions today is that of developing a new vision of their role in the U.S. economy of the future. The labor movement in the United States stands at a crucial moment. The dynamism of the unions that led to their rapid growth in the middle decades of this century has been replaced by a decrease in the percentage of U.S. workers who are organized. American workers are under heavy pressures today that threaten their jobs. . . . In these difficult circumstances, guaranteeing the rights of U.S. workers calls for imaginative vision and creative new steps, not reactive or simply defensive strategies. (no. 108) continued on next page

Charity in Truth (Caritas in Veritate) Pope Benedict XVI, 2009

Through the combination of social and economic change, trade union organizations experience greater difficulty in carrying out their task of representing the interests of workers, partly because Governments, for reasons of economic utility, often limit the freedom or the negotiating capacity of labour unions. . . . The repeated calls issued within the Church's social doctrine, beginning with Rerum Novarum, for the promotion of workers' associations that can defend their rights must therefore be honoured today even more than in the past, as a prompt and far-sighted response to the urgent need for new forms of cooperation at the international level, as well as the local level. (no. 25)

The global context in which work takes place also demands that national labour unions, which tend to limit themselves to defending the interests of their registered members, should turn their attention to those outside their membership, and in particular to workers in developing countries where social rights are often violated. The protection of these workers, partly achieved through appropriate initiatives aimed at their countries of origin, will enable trade unions to demonstrate the authentic ethical and cultural motivations that made it possible for them, in a different social and labour context, to play a decisive role in development. (no. 64)

Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship

U.S. Catholic Bishops, 2007

Catholic social teaching supports the right of workers to choose whether to organize, join a union, and bargain collectively, and to exercise these rights without reprisal. . . .Workers, owners, employers, and unions should work together to create decent jobs, build a more just economy, and advance the common good. (no. 76)

Department of Justice, Peace and Human Development 3211 4th St. NE · Washington, DC 20017 · (202)541-3160 · usccb.org/jphd

On the Condition of Labor (Rerum Novarum) Pope Leo XIII, 1891

The most important of all [workplace associations and organizations] are workingmen's unions. . . . Such unions should be suited to the requirements of this our age - an age of wider education, of different habits, and of far more numerous requirements in daily life. It is gratifying to know that there are actually in existence not a few associations of this nature, consisting either of workmen alone, or of workmen and employers together, but it were greatly to be desired that they should become more numerous and more efficient. (no. 49) We read in the pages of holy Writ: "It is better that two should be together than one; for they have the advantage of their society. If one fall he shall be supported by the other. Woe to him that is alone, for when he falleth he hath none to lift him up." And further: "A brother that is helped by his brother is like a strong city." It is this natural impulse which binds men together in civil society; and it is likewise this which leads them to join together in associations. . . . Private societies, then, although they exist within the body politic, and are severally part of the commonwealth, cannot nevertheless be absolutely, and as such, prohibited by public authority. For, to enter into a "society" of this kind is the natural right of man; and the State has for its office to protect natural rights, not to destroy them; and, if it forbid its citizens to form associations, it contradicts the very principle of its own existence, for both they and it exist in virtue of the like principle, namely, the natural tendency of man to dwell in society. (nos. 50-51)

On Human Work (Laborem Exercens) Pope John Paul II, 1981

All these rights [of workers], together with the need for the workers themselves to secure them, give rise to yet another right: the right of association, that is to form associations for the purpose of defending the vital interests of those employed in the various professions. These associations are called labour or trade unions. . . . Their task is to defend the existential interests of workers in all sectors in which their rights are concerned. The experience of history teaches that organizations of this type are an indispensable element of social life, especially in modern industrialized societies. (no. 20) Union demands cannot be turned into a kind of group or class "egoism,” although they can and should also aim at correcting--with a view to the common good of the whole of society--everything defective in the system of ownership of the means of production or in the way these are managed. . . . the role of unions is not to "play politics" in the sense that the expression is commonly understood today. Unions do not have the character of political parties struggling for power; they should not be subjected to the decision of political parties or have too close links with them. In fact, in such a situation they easily lose contact with their specific role, which is to secure the just rights of workers within the framework of the common good of the whole of society; instead they become an instrument used for other purposes. (no. 20)

Economic Justice for All, continued Along with the rights of workers and unions go a number of important responsibilities. Individual workers have obligations to their employers, and trade unions also have duties to society as a whole. Union management in particular carries a strong responsibility for the good name of the entire union movement. Workers must use their collective power to contribute to the well-being of the whole community and should avoid pressing demands whose fulfillment would damage the common good and the rights of more vulnerable members of society. . . . it is unfair to expect unions to make concessions if managers and shareholders do not make at least equal sacrifices. (no. 106)

THE CONCLUDING RITE [Labor Day Weekend] The Lord be with you. And with your spirit. Bow down for the blessing. God our creator, we are the work of your hands. Guide us in our work, that we may do it, not for self alone, but for the common good. Make us alert to injustice, ready to stand in solidarity, that there may be dignity for all in labor and in labor’s reward. Grant this through Christ our Lord. Amen. And may the blessing of almighty God, The Father, and the Son, + and the Holy Spirit, Come down on you and remain with you for ever. Amen Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life. Thanks be to God. Suggested prayer for concluding the General Intercessions Creator God, thank you for providing us with the gift to share our talents. Provide our community, our nation, our world the fortitude to provide work for all which is decent and fair. Make us faithful stewards of your creation to enhance the human dignity of our global family. We ask this in the name of Jesus, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit now and forever. Amen

Labor Day Statement Supplemental Aids:

Prayers of the Faithful:

Possible Responses:

Lord, hear our prayer.

In your mercy, hear us Lord.

In your compassion, answer us God.

Possible Prayers:

We pray for the men, women and children who must work in jobs that ignore the dignity of their

personhood. We pray to the Lord.

We pray for the men and women who are not able to find jobs. We pray for their continued

perseverance and determination as they continue to seek ways in which to participate in God’s creation

and work. We pray to the Lord.

We pray for the men and women who own companies, who lead companies and who make decisions

regarding safe work conditions and adequate wages. We pray that these leaders will act in the best

interests of their laborers. We pray to the Lord.

We pray for union leaders, national and local, who are responsible for speaking for workers. May they

be guided by the grace and wisdom of the Holy Spirit to be servant leaders. We pray to the Lord.

We pray for men, women and children who suffer from our lack of solidarity in their daily struggle to

survive. May we be aware of our responsibility to be in relationship with our brothers and sisters in the

world. We pray to the Lord.

We pray that as we are reminded that it is right and just to receive a fair wage for work. May we strive

to promote dignity and respect for all in the workplace. We pray to the Lord.

We pray for those who have lost their lives while working, that they might be welcomed into the

heavenly kingdom; and for their families, that they might be comforted and find security. We pray to the

Lord.

Questions for Theological Reflection:

You may wish to place your reflections in your Labor Day Homily. As Sunday is our day of rest, it is also

appropriate to incorporate these reflections into other weekend homilies as well. Reminding

parishioners of their inherent dignity and the dignity of their work is a good and useful cue of God’s

abiding love for all. Also, pay attention to those who are looking for work or are struggling with their

employee/er at this time.

What is the current unemployment rate in your town or city? How does this compare with your

church? (Statistics can be found online at www.povertyusa.org )

God allows us to work in creative and life-giving ways. We participate in the creative work of

God. How do you express gratitude for your ability to work?

Consider “shadowing” a worker (factory, railroad, dishwasher, busboy, teacher, nurse, CNA,

CEO, etc.) from your parish and then share your experience in your homily after reflection.

What is the difference between a minimum wage and a living wage? Do your parishioners

understand this distinction? http://www.povertyusa.org/wages-versus-prices/

Do you have a story that you could share highlighting worker injustices that have affected a

parishioner (without breaking confidentiality)?

What is wage theft? Does it affect people in your parish?

http://wagetheft.org/wordpress/?page_id=1511#whatis

o 60% of nursing home workers have had their wages stolen

o Almost 50 percent of all day laborers (construction) have had wages stolen

o 100% of poultry plant workers have had their wages stolen1

How is our sacramental life affected by our work and sense of dignity that comes from being

able to provide for basic needs? How does this contribute to our gifts for the common good?

Who in your community is most directly affected by growing inequality?

How can you and your parishioners support the businesses that honor the work of their

laborers? Do you know the company leaders?

Scripture References to consider:

Genesis 2:2-3 Exodus 20:9-10 & 15; 23:12; 34:21 Leviticus 23:3 Numbers 8:25-26 Deuteronomy 5:13-14; 24:1-15 1 Chronicles 28:20 Psalm 28:4; 82:3-4; 90:17; 94:16 Proverbs 22:22-23 Sirach 38:8 Jeremiah 17:22; 22:13 Isaiah 58:10, 12 Nehemiah 5:9-11 Matthew 20; 22:36-40 James 2:14-17

Quotes from Church Documents:

1 Wage Theft in America: Why Millions of Working Americans are not Getting Paid- And What we can Do about It.

Kim Bobo. The New Press, New York, 2009. Page 7.

“No consideration of the problems associated with development could fail to highlight the direct link

between poverty and unemployment. In many cases, poverty results from a violation of the dignity of

human work, either because work opportunities are limited (through unemployment or

underemployment), or ‘because a low value is put on work and the rights that flow from it, especially

the right to a just wage and to the personal security of the worker and his or her family’” Charity in

Truth, § 63.

“Work must be an escape from poverty, not another version of it.” A Place at the Table,§17.

“Catholic social teaching supports the rights of workers to choose whether to organize, join a union, and

bargain collectively, and to exercise these rights without reprisal…workers, owners, employers and

unions should work together to create decent jobs, build a more just economy, and advance the

common good.” Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship. §76

Prayers:

As the sun rises to bring in the new day:

We remember those who descend into the earth, their work begins in darkness, pulling from the earth, the resources we steward.

We remember those who work inside a building away from the light and brightness of the day.

We remember those who work outside in the harsh elements of our world, the bitter cold and sweltering heat of extremes.

We remember those who do not have a job to go to, who are struggling to meet the needs of their daily living expenses, for whom the day becomes long and arduous.

As the sun sets to bring in the evening of rest:

We remember those who work in the night.

We remember those who are trying to recover from their labor and toils of the day.

We remember those who participate in unsafe and dangerous work. We pray for a renewed sense of dignity in their lives and in their work.

God, in your goodness, you have made a home for the worker. Make a place in our hearts for compassion to the men and women who labor tirelessly for basic necessities. Ensure a place for the men and women who are struggling to find work. Grant us your wisdom to greet and care for those who are unable to work due to illness or circumstances that prevent their participation. Be with the children who are not able to run and play, but instead must put in a hard day’s work to help their family afford to eat, to live. Be with us all, Christ Jesus, as we go about the busyness of our work. Hold us accountable not only for our actions, but most importantly to each of our neighbors. May we continue to work together to bring about your reign! We ask this in your holy name, through the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

“Persons in management face many hard choices each day, choices on which the well-being of many others depends. Commitment to the public good and not simply the private good of their firms is at the

heart of what it means to call their work a vocation and not simply a career or a job.” Economic Justice for All §11

“Good business decisions are those rooted in principles at the foundational level, such as respect for human dignity and service to the common good, and a vision of a business as a community of persons. Principles on the practical level keep the business leader focused on…organizing productive and meaningful work, recognizing the human dignity of employees and their right and duty to flourish in their work, and structuring workplaces with subsidiarity that designs, equips and trusts employees to do their best work...” (The Vocation of the Business Leader)

Examination of Conscience for the Business Leader:2

Do I see work as a gift from God?

Is my work as a “co-creator” truly participating in God’s original creative act?

Do I promote a culture of life through my work?

Have I been living a divided life, separating Gospel principles from my work?

Am I receiving the sacraments regularly and with attention to how they support and inform my business practices?

Am I reading the Scriptures and praying with the will to avoid the risk of a divided life?

Am I sharing my spiritual path with other Christian business practitioners (my peers)?

Am I seeking to nourish my business life by learning more about the Church’s social teaching?

Do I believe that taking seriously the dignity of the person in my business decision-making will promote integral human development while making my company more efficient, more agile, and more profitable?

Organizing Good and Productive Work:

Do I provide conditions which allow my employees appropriate autonomy at each level? In other words, am I organizing human resources mindful of the subsidiarity principle in my company management system?

Am I making sure that the company provides safe working conditions, living wages, training, and the opportunity for employees to organize themselves?

Have I embedded a set of comprehensively defined values and integrated that into my performance measurement process? Am I honest with my employees about their performance?

In all countries where my company is engaged, is it honoring the dignity of those indirectly employed and contributing to the development of the communities hosting these operations? (Do I follow the same standard of morality in all geographic locations?)

Do I place the dignity of all workers above profit margins?

2 “The Vocation of the Business Leader” The Pontifical Council for Peace and Justice, 2012.

Preaching about Justice in the Parish

Goal: to develop in the Catholic community understanding of and commitment to its mission to

participate in the building of the kingdom of God as it relates to the social wellbeing of all (the common

good) and opposes the injustice, violence, greed and other evils of the anti-kingdom. Attention to

Catholic social teaching should have a proper balance relative to other matters of Christian life and

teaching. The following comments are offered in support of this goal.

Pastors and parish staffs might regularly familiarize themselves with Catholic social teaching and other

resources helpful for addressing social issues that come to the intention of the community; for example,

teachings on life and death, war and armament, economics and poverty, labor, including the dignity,

rights and duties of workers and employers, the dignity and rights of people of all races and ethnicities

and other oppressed and exploited people, health of the environment and global warming, and other

social issues.

In parishes unfamiliar with the principles of Catholic social teaching, initial steps toward this goal might

well be small, but with consistent effort toward the community’s full growth of social concern.

Some suggestions:

With very sensitive issues preachers might speak as from their personal moral perspective (“This

is the way I have come to see this issue and why” rather than “This is the way we all must

think”)

Tell the personal stories of victims of injustice, or sometimes better, arrange for the victims to

tell their stories to the community. Stories are powerful opinion changers.

Plan ahead. Look for occasions and scriptures that offer opportunity to preach about social

teaching. Recent studies of Jesus’ parables and a new understanding of Jesus’ teaching goals and

process reveal new social interpretations of a number of his parables. One useful resource is

Parables as Subversive Speech: Jesus as Pedagogue of the Oppressed, by William R. Herzog II.

Other possibilities:

Include Catholic social teaching and/or social action in religious education courses, adult

education, and youth ministry. Consult as a resource the Archdiocesan Office of Life, Justice and

Peace.

Consider organizing a Bread for the World Offering of Letters (world food needs) and other total

parish projects to support justice or stand in solidarity with oppressed groups as needs arise.

Use the parish bulletin with appropriate frequency to print and/or discuss portions of papal

encyclicals, statements of the American bishops, and other documents related to social

concerns.

Frequently make social issues the subjects of prayer in the general intentions of the mass.

Bishop Stephen E. Blaire of Stockton

Chairman, Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

September 2, 2013

Every human being enjoys a basic right to be respected, not because of any title, position, prestige, or

accomplishment but first of all because we are created in the image and likeness of God. From an ethical

and moral perspective we embrace the exhortation of St. Paul “to anticipate one another in showing

honor” (Rom 12:10). Today’s competitive culture challenges us to strive for victory and advantage, but

for St. Paul the challenge is to build each other up and honor one another’s innate dignity.

Labor Day is an opportunity to take stock of the ways workers are honored and respected. Earlier this

year, Pope Francis pointed out, “Work is fundamental to the dignity of a person. . . . It gives one the

ability to maintain oneself, one’s family, to contribute to the growth of one’s own nation.” Unfortunately,

millions of workers today are denied this honor and respect as a result of unemployment,

underemployment, unjust wages, wage theft, abuse, and exploitation.

Even with new indicators of some modest progress in recovery, the economy still has not improved the

standard of living for many people, especially for the poor and the working poor, many of whom are

unemployed or underemployed. More than four million people have been jobless for over six months, and

that does not include the millions more who have simply lost hope. For every available job, there are

often five unemployed and underemployed people actively vying for it. This jobs gap pushes wages

down. Half of the jobs in this country pay less than $27,000 per year. More than 46 million people live in

poverty, including 16 million children. The economy is not creating an adequate number of jobs that

allow workers to provide for themselves and their families. Jobs, wages, and poverty are interrelated. The

only way to reduce the widening gap between the affluent and the poorest people in our nation is by

creating quality jobs that provide a just compensation that enables workers to live in the dignity

appropriate for themselves and their families.

Growing Inequality Hurts Families and Communities

High unemployment and underemployment are connected to the rise in income inequality. The prophetic

words of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI in Caritas in Veritate warn us of the dangers of inequality:

The dignity of the individual and the demands of justice require, particularly today, that economic

choices do not cause disparities in wealth to increase in an excessive and morally unacceptable

manner, and that we continue to prioritize the goal of access to steady employment for everyone. .

. . Through the systemic increase of social inequality . . . not only does social cohesion suffer,

thereby placing democracy at risk, but so too does the economy, through the progressive erosion

of “social capital” . . . indispensable for any form of civil coexistence. (no. 32)

Is it possible that this is happening here in the United States? In many places, wealth and basic needs are

separated by only a few blocks or subway stops. We only have to look under bridges and in alleyways.

The words from Gaudium et Spes (no. 63) from the Second Vatican Council of fifty years ago seem to be

just as true today: “While an immense number of people still lack the absolute necessities of life, some,

Labor Day Statement

even in less advanced areas, live in luxury or squander wealth.” How can it be said that persons honor one

another when such “extravagance and wretchedness exist side by side”?

Who Do We Hope to Be As a Nation?

Most people want to live in a more equal society that provides opportunities for growth and development.

The current imbalances are not inevitable, but demand boldness in promoting a just economy that reduces

inequality by creating jobs that pay a living wage and share with workers some profits of the company. It

also requires ensuring a strong safety net for jobless workers and their families and those who are

incapable of work. As individuals and families, as the Church, as community organizations, as businesses,

as government, we all have a responsibility to promote the dignity of work and to honor workers’ rights.

Since the end of the Civil War, unions have been an important part of our economy because they provide

protections for workers and more importantly a way for workers to participate in company decisions that

affect them. Catholic teaching has consistently affirmed the right of workers to choose to form a union.

The rise in income inequality has mirrored a decline in union membership. Unions, like all human

institutions, are imperfect, and they must continue to reform themselves so they stay focused on the

important issues of living wages and appropriate benefits, raising the minimum wage, stopping wage

theft, standing up for safe and healthy working conditions, and other issues that promote the common

good. The Church, in accord with her principles on the life and dignity of the human person, wishes to

collaborate with unions in securing the rights and dignity of workers.

Private enterprises, at their best, create decent jobs, contribute to the common good, and pay just wages.

Ethical and moral business leaders know that it is wrong to chase profits and success at the expense of

workers’ dignity. They know that they have a vocation to build the kind of solidarity that honors the

worker and the least among us. They remember that the economy is “for people.” They know that great

harm results when they separate their faith or human values from their work as business leaders.

Whenever possible we should support businesses and enterprises that protect human life and dignity, pay

just wages, and protect workers’ rights. We should support immigration policies that bring immigrant

workers out of the shadows to a legal status and offer them a just and fair path to citizenship, so that their

human rights are protected and the wages for all workers rise.

We honor the immigrant worker by remembering that the building of America has been carried out by so

many who fled persecution, violence, and poverty elsewhere, coming to America to offer their talents and

gifts to support themselves and their families. We welcome the stranger, the refugee, the migrant, and the

marginalized, because they are children of God and it is our duty to do so. But at the same time it is

important to end the political, social, and economic conditions that drive people from their homelands and

families. Solidarity calls us to honor workers in our own communities and around the world.

The pain of the poor and those becoming poor in the rising economic inequality of our society is

mounting. Therefore, on this Labor Day 2013, let us renew our commitment to promote the dignity of the

human person through work that is honorable, pays just wages, and recognizes the God-given dignity of

the working person.

At the end of Mass we are commanded “Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord.” We leave with a sense

of mission to show one another honor by what we do and say. On this Labor Day our mission takes us to

the millions of people who continue to suffer the effects of the current economy.

Department of Justice, Peace, and Human Development

Office of Domestic Social Development

Just Wage and the Federal Minimum Wage

February 2014

ISSUE The federal minimum wage is currently $7.25/hour, meaning a full-time worker earns $15,080 over the course

of a year. According to the Census Bureau, the poverty level for a single parent raising one child is $15,825,

and for a couple with one child is $18,480, meaning the current federal minimum wage fails to meet the most

fundamental of Catholic criteria for just wages: it does not promote family stability.

The federal minimum wage is static, meaning that it does not raise annually to adjust for inflation or cost of

living increases. As a result, workers at the low end of the wage scale fall further behind every year. The feder-

al minimum wage has lost more than 30% of its value and would be more than $10/hour today if it had merely

kept pace with the cost of living over the past forty years. If it had kept pace with worker productivity growth

over the same period, it would be over $18/hour. Low-wage workers are doing and making more with the same

amount of time, working harder, but not enjoying the fruits of their labor.

According to recent research, raising the federal minimum wage to a level consistent with current proposals

would have a substantial benefit for 30 million low-wage workers, who would make about $51 billion more.

Numerous studies suggest it would lower overall poverty by varying degrees, but it would certainly have an

effect on the economic security of those families.

An increase in the minimum wage would substantially benefit children and families:

One-quarter of all workers who stand to benefit from a proposed federal minimum wage increase

are parents, raising 14 million children.

Over one-third of them are married, and close to 90 percent of them are older than 20 years old.

Contrary to some assertions, only a small percentage of affected workers would be teenagers.

Forty percent of minimum wage workers are the sole breadwinner of their family.

The Prevalence of Low-Wage Work

An increase in the federal minimum wage is of vital importance to our economy because job growth at the

lower end of the wage scale has been so substantial.

According to the Social Security Administration, half of all jobs in this country pay $27,500 or less. This is the

lowest level in 15 years. The job loss during the most recent recession was distributed across the economy and

“A Just wage is the legitimate fruit of work. To refuse or withhold it can be a grave injustice. In determining

fair pay both the needs and the contributions of each person must be taken into account. ‘Remuneration for

work should guarantee man the opportunity to provide a dignified livelihood for himself and his family on the

material, social, cultural, and spiritual level, taking into account the role and the productivity of each, the

state of the business, and the common good.’ Agreement between the parties is not sufficient to justify morally

the amount to be received in wages.”

-Catechism of the Catholic Church, No. 2434

3211 Fourth St., NE. Washington, DC 20017. Tel: (202)541-3160 Fax: (202)541-3339

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income levels. Since the recession, however, 58% of new jobs have been in low-wage occupations like cash-

iers and food preparation where the minimum wage sets many pay scales.

There are over 10 million workers classified as “working poor.” The ranks of the working poor are growing,

representing over seven percent of the total workforce--the largest percentage of the workforce in over 20

years.

The federal minimum wage needs to be raised, not just for the financial security of the worker but also for

their dignity and health of their families.

USCCB POSITION

Work has a special place in Catholic teaching. Work is more than just a job; it is a reflection of our human

dignity and a way to contribute to the common good. Blessed John Paul II called work “probably the essential

key to the whole social question” (Laborem Exercens, No. 15). Wages earned from work are the primary way

people meet their material needs and contribute to the common good.

The family is the fundamental cell of society and where we first learn, love, and develop. A living wage is a

fundamental right of workers and a moral imperative of employers because it provides workers with the

means and resources to form and support a family. The Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church

points out, “In order to protect this relationship between family and work, an element that must be appreciated

and safeguarded is that of a family wage, a wage sufficient to maintain a family and allow it to live decently.

Such a wage must also allow for savings that will permit the acquisition of property as a guarantee of free-

dom. The right to property is closely connected with the existence of families, which protect themselves from

need thanks also to savings and to the building up of family property” (No. 250).

Catholic Bishops in the United States have long supported increases in the federal minimum wage to ensure

that no full time worker and their family lived in poverty. The federal minimum wage is not a living wage,

and it is not a silver bullet to solve all economic problems, but it is one way to ensure workers are compen-

sated fairly.

Last year, Bishop Stephen Blaire of Stockton, CA testified to the Senate Committee on Health, Employment,

Labor, and Pensions regarding Catholic teaching on wages and the Church’s longstanding support for raising

the federal minimum wage, saying, “For the Catholic bishops of the United States, advocating a just minimum

wage is foundational. Every time Congress or an Administration has suggested raising the minimum wage, the

bishops have been supportive simply because it is consistent with our teaching and we see the effects firsthand

in the families of our parishioners and our own communities.”

Earlier this year, Archbishop Thomas Wenski and Fr. Larry Snyder, President of Catholic Charities USA, told

the US Senate that “Just wages allow us to develop more fully as individuals, families, neighborhoods, com-

munities, parishes, and even society as a whole. The current federal minimum wage falls short of this standard

for its failure to provide sufficient resources for individuals to form and support families.”

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

USCCB Labor and Employment Page: http://bit.ly/1b4LlH7

Letter of Archbishop Thomas Wenski and Father Larry Snyder to the US Senate regarding the federal mini-

mum wage: http://bit.ly/1bSfmZV

Testimony of Bishop Stephen E. Blaire on the Catholic tradition on just wages: http://bit.ly/1cnRvFl

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Tom Mulloy, Office of Domestic Social Development: (202) 541-3445, tmulloy@usccb.org

3211 Fourth St., NE. Washington, DC 20017. Tel: (202)541-3160 Fax: (202)541-3339

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