Our Holy Father, in his 1981 Encyclical Letter Laborem Exercens, notes that “work is a fundamental dimension of man’s existence on earth” and that through work, we “achieve fulfillment as a human being.” It is a clear recognition that work is necessary for our economic sustainability.
What Needs Attention
But it is more than that: through our labor, we can share the gifts we have received from the Father for the benefit of His creation. Work makes us co-creators of Christ's kingdom in our daily lives.
The Church's commitment to the dignity of the human person and the belief that work allows us to fulfill our human potential provide the foundation for our Catholic social teaching on the dignity of labor. Yet today, as we look around our commonwealth, our country and our global community, we find evidence that the rights of workers to fair wages, safe working conditions, opportunities for advancement, and equality do not receive the attention they deserve.
“In every case, a just wage is the concrete means of verifying the justice of the whole socioeconomic system….” These words from Laborem Exercens call us to examine closely the practice of remuneration for work. The minimum wage in the United States is $5.15 an hour. This wage has not been increased by Congress since 1997, although members of Congress have raised their own salaries six times over the same period. While those earning the minimum wage live below the poverty line, the average Chief Executive Officer of a major corporation earns $9.3 million in total annual compensation, or $4,470 an hour. No one who works full time should have to live in poverty or be homeless.
It is essential that we increase substantially the minimum wage. Moreover, it is critical that Virginia lawmakers work to sustain and expand living-wage ordinances such as those passed in Alexandria and Arlington recently. It is also important to strive for equality in pay where wage discrimination continues. In 2002, women were still paid only 77 cents for every dollar men received; the ratio is even lower for women of color who earn 70 cents as African Americans or 58 cents as Latinas. This inequity results in less money to put food on the table, for housing and, over the long term, even less in retirement pensions.
Laborers Need Protection
In addition to providing decent wages, let us ensure that all who work in our country receive full labor protection, particularly farm workers who are exposed to harsh working conditions, pesticides and other chemicals, and long hours of back-breaking and repetitive labor. Special care needs to be provided to non-English-speaking immigrants whose understanding of and access to existing labor laws may be compromised. In last year's special report, For I Was Hungry and You Gave me Food (USCCB, 2003), my brother bishops and I called for a “comprehensive legalization program that would permit hard-working undocumented workers in agricultural industries to adjust their legal status to legal permanent residency.” We believe that a legalization program will stabilize the work force, protect migrant workers and their families from discrimination and exploitation, and ensure that these workers are able to continue making contributions to society. For these reasons the U.S. Catholic bishops support the Agricultural Job Opportunity, Benefits and Security Act of 2003 (AgJobs).
Our country must also continue to extend opportunities to those who have the ambition to better themselves through hard work and sacrifice. Legislation to re-authorize Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) will make it easier for those who have lost their jobs to earn an education or additional training so they can move beyond minimum-wage jobs to higher-paying work. TANF legislation should restore the eligibility of legal immigrants to access TANF benefits. Additionally, we must extend in-state tuition to all children who reside in the commonwealth and have been accepted to our universities. Finally, we ought not respond to legitimate concerns about security with ineffectual and undue restrictions on obtaining drivers' licenses. Denying drivers' licenses to those who must drive for work will not make us safer in our homes or on our roads.
The face of immigrant labor in our country is a reminder to look beyond our own borders. The Holy Father advises us that our global economy has the potential for increasing economic development around the world. However, globalization also means that the flow of capital, goods, information, technology and knowledge are beyond the traditional mechanisms of regulatory control that would protect the weaker members of society. I join with our pope in calling for ethical guidelines “that will place globalization firmly at the service of authentic human development — the development of every person and of the whole person — in full respect of the rights and dignity of all” (Effective Mechanisms for Giving Globalization Proper Direction, May 12, 2003).
An Essential Dimension of Our Mission
On Labor Day it is important to celebrate the contribution of today's immigrant workers to this country of immigrants. A 2003 study by the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) of the Commonwealth of Virginia concluded that Asian and Hispanic immigrants contribute over $12 billion annually to the state economy, but draw few services in return. Especially in northern Virginia, where two of every three foreign-born residents live, their contribution to our community needs to be welcomed and supported.
I am proud of the offices and ministries within our diocese that welcome the stranger in our midst. Our Hispanic Apostolate and our newly formed Office for Multi-cultural Ministry ensure the inclusion of a new generation of immigrants in our Church's life and work and offer them the opportunity to share their unique cultural and spiritual heritage. Hogar Hispano, the Office of Resettlement and the recently formed Peace and Justice Commission all provide support though social services education and advocacy. I call on the parishes of the diocese to participate with these agencies in the promotion of the dignity, economic rights and spiritual development of our immigrants and other workers as an essential dimension of our Church's evangelizing mission.
This Labor Day let us recall the intrinsic dignity of work and the sanctity of the human person. As Pope John Paul II has explained: “Work is one of these aspects, a perennial and fundamental one, one that is always relevant and constantly demands renewed attention and decisive witness.… [M]an's life is built up every day from work, from work it derives its specific dignity…” (Laborem Exercens, 1).
Bishop Paul S. Loverde is the bishop of the Diocese of Arlington, Virginia
(This article courtesy of the Arlington Catholic Herald.)
