Annual Labor Day Statement
Bishop Murphy also focuses on the recent agreement between leaders in Catholic health care, the labor movement, and the Catholic bishops to develop practical guidelines on how leaders of hospitals, unions, and others might apply Catholic principles in reaching agreements in their own situations. (To read the agreement, click here)
Finally, the Labor Day Statement touches on the principles of the Church’s social teaching found in the issues of health care and immigration.
Bishops, Catholic Health Care, Unions find Common Ground on Respecting Rights of Health Care Workers
WASHINGTON—The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), along with leaders from Catholic health care and the labor movement, released “guidance and options” for creating a fair process for health care workers to decide whether or not to form a union. Outlined in a new document entitled Respecting the Just Rights of Workers: Guidance and Options for Catholic Health Care and Unions, the principles reflect a unique and ground-breaking consensus between Catholic health care employers and unions and are the result of a dialogue that began more than a decade ago. The document can be found on the USCCB Web site at: www.usccb.org/sdwp/national/respecting_the_just_rights_of_workers.pdf
The three-way dialogue was initiated by the USCCB in an effort to find common ground on alternative approaches for carrying out Catholic social teachings on the rights of workers to freely choose whether or not to be represented by unions.
“Though they had different perspectives and points of view in many areas, the participants shared the conviction that it is up to workers—not bishops, hospital managers, or union leaders—to decide how they will be represented in the workplace,” said Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, who chaired the dialogue. “This remarkable dialogue produced an unprecedented agreement because of the principles of Catholic social teaching and the quality of the leaders involved.”
The new Guidance and Options document offers seven key principles for appropriate conduct by both employer and union representatives that will help ensure that employees are able to make an informed decision without undue influence or pressure from either side. The document suggests that unions and employers agree, in writing, on the specific ways they will:
- demonstrate respect for each other’s organization and mission,
- provide workers with equal access to information from both sides,
- adhere to standards for truthfulness and balance in their communications,
- create a pressure-free environment,
- allow workers to vote through a fair and expeditious process,
- honor employees’ decision regardless of the outcome, and
- create a system for enforcing these principles during the course of an organizing drive.
Guidance and Options does not bind individual bishops, hospitals or unions. Rather it offers principles and practical alternatives for leaders of Catholic health care and unions who want to avoid the tension and conflict that often accompanies organizing drives. More than 600,000 employees work in nearly 600 Catholic hospitals nationwide.
It took more than two years to reach agreement on the new principles, which build on the recommendations of an initial working paper issued in 1999 by the USCCB Subcommittee on Catholic Health Care and Work. In December 2006, the USCCB reconvened leaders of Catholic health care and unions to develop additional, practical guidance for achieving the recommendations in the original “A Fair and Just Workplace” paper.
“Because Catholic Health Care is a ministry not an industry, how it treats its workers and how organized labor treats Catholic Health Care are not simply internal matters, but should reflect Catholic teaching on work and workers, heath care and the common good,” said Cardinal McCarrick.
FCC releases report on Broadband Strategy for Rural America
While the country made the complete switch this weekend from analog to digital broadcast television, many parts of rural America are waiting for broadband services. Michael J. Copps, Acting Federal Communications Commission Chairman, has released a report concluding that all rural Americans must have the opportunity to benefit from broadband services. It provides a starting point for developing policies on extending broadband to rural areas.
The report can be read at http://wireless.fcc.gov/outreach/index.htm?job=broadband_home
New Web site views economic crisis through lens of Catholic faith
Catholic Teaching on Economic Life (www.usccb.org/jphd/economiclife) features the ten-point “A Catholic Framework for Economic Life,” which is downloadable in handout form. The Web site is sponsored by the Department of Justice, Peace and Human Development of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).
The site includes statements on economic life from both the U.S. bishops and Pope Benedict XVI and the Holy See, ideas for parishes, stories of groups responding to the crisis, prayer guides, Podcasts, videos, and even an interactive quiz. The site also features a database of information on issues related to the crisis, including health, housing, labor, and trade. All resources are designed for practical use on the parish level for making sense of the economic crisis.
Bishop William F. Murphy of Rockville Centre, N.Y., chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee of Domestic Social Justice and Human Development, outlined a central theme in a letter to the nation’s leaders:
“This crisis involves far more than just economic or technical matters, but has enormous human impact and clear ethical dimensions which should be at the center of debate and decisions on how to move forward. Families are losing their homes. Retirement savings are at risk. People are losing jobs and benefits. Economic arrangements, structures and remedies should have as a fundamental purpose safeguarding human life and dignity.”
"Our hope is that Catholics across the United States can use these new resources to understand the economic crisis in the light of Church teaching on economic life. One of the central themes of this teaching is that the dignity of the human person always comes first. This is a message of hope in tough economic times,” said John Carr, Executive Director of the Department of Justice, Peace and Human Development.
To view the new Web site, go to www.usccb.org/jphd/economiclife.
Conference Testifies on Eliminating Clothing Sales Tax
The North Dakota Catholic Conference testified in support of House Bill 1268, which would eliminate the sales tax on clothing.
Taxation should be based on one’s ability to pay. In this respect, Catholic teaching supports a more progressive, rather than regressive, form of taxation, especially when it comes to taxation on goods and services essential to human dignity. House Bill 1268 would eliminate a regressive tax on an essential item. At the same time, it would make our tax system more fair and just, and help relieve the tax burden on the poorest among us.
Read the testimony . . .
More North Dakotans Rely on Food Stamps
'We are our brothers' keepers,' remind bishops in economic statement
Statement on Economic Crisis
By Patricia Zapor
Catholic News Service
BALTIMORE (CNS) -- At a time of economic crisis, the U.S. Catholic bishops issued a statement Nov. 11 reminding people that "we are our brothers' and sisters' keepers. We are all in this together."
The brief statement issued by Cardinal Francis E. George of Chicago, the bishops' president, noted that "hard times can isolate us or they can bring us together."
It was drafted during the annual fall meeting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in Baltimore and approved by the body of bishops in a voice vote Nov. 11 as a statement from Cardinal George on their behalf.
"As pastors and bishops, we see the many human and moral consequences of this crisis," the statement said. Though the impact of the crisis is greater in some regions of the country, families all across the nation are losing their homes, workers are losing their jobs and health care coverage, retirement savings are threatened and people are losing the sense of hope and security, it continued.
But the church will continue to "reach out to those in need, stand with those who are hurt, and work for policies that bring greater compassion, accountability and justice to economic life," the statement said.
Bishop Leonard P. Blair of Toledo, Ohio, who suggested the statement, said at a press conference following its approval that the impetus for it came out of "the very basic concern we have as pastors" that the economic situation be met with understanding, compassion and a sense of solidarity with one's neighbors.
A day earlier in his home state, he noted, another major employer announced dramatic job cuts. DHL, the international shipping company, announced it was eliminating 9,500 jobs, about 7,000 of them located in Wilmington, Ohio.
"Our people are hurting and the bishops want to be with people as they're hurting," Bishop Blair said.
Archbishop George H. Niederauer of San Francisco, who chairs the bishops' communications committee, said the bishops felt it was important to raise people's consciousness about the needs of their neighbors.
Even before the recent economic downturn, many dioceses were hit hard financially by payouts of settlements for sexual abuse claims, Archbishop Niederauer noted. But in times like these, helping people in need is far less about the diminished assets of a diocese than it is about "calling people to come forward" to help their neighbors, he said.
Bishop Blair said Toledo has a long tradition of people helping people, particularly at the parish level, and he doesn't see that being particularly affected by diocesan financial situations.
"If all politics is local, a lot of charity is also local," said Archbishop Niederauer.
Parish collections, the annual diocesan charity appeals, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul and local food pantries are the kind of help that people have generously supported to help their neighbors in the past and that the bishops hope to encourage with the statement, he said.
The statement noted that Pope Benedict XVI in his message for the 2008 World Day of Peace said families need to have "a home, employment and a just recognition of the domestic activity of parents, the possibility of schooling for children and basic health care for all." The pope, it said, "also insists that society and public policy should be 'committed to assisting the family in these areas.'"
The bishops concluded by offering prayers for families and individuals, "our sisters and brothers, who are hurting, anxious or discouraged in these difficult times. We also pledge our prayers for our wounded nation and suffering world. We pray that, working together, we can find the courage, wisdom and ways to build an economy of prosperity and greater justice for all."
END
11/11/2008 2:14 PM ET
Copyright (c) 2008 Catholic News Service/U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops
Two Timely Stories from Rome
Cardinal Bertone Defends Religion in Public Square
“The cardinal stressed that it is "totally legitimate" for Christians ‘to participate in the public debate. If not, theist and religious arguments and reasoning could not be invoked publicly in a democratic and liberal society, while rationalist and secular arguments could be invoked -- clearly violating the principle of equality and reciprocity, which is at the base of the concept of political justice.’”
Vatican Aide: Put Man at the Center of the Economy
“The financial crisis under way in the United States should remind us that the human person must be at the center of the economy, says the president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace. . .”
Annual Labor Day Message Calls for Action on Just Economy, Dignity, Workers' Rights
Bishop William Murphy of Rockville Centre, New York, Chairman of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, issued the statement to highlight the needs of the nation’s workers, economic inequalities and the responsibilities of all citizens to help improve working conditions.
He drew inspiration from the late Monsignor George Higgins, the “labor priest” who worked for fifty-plus years for workers’ rights and was an outspoken bridge between the Catholic Church in the United States and the labor movement. He described how Monsignor Higgins might address current economic stresses.
“Above all, Monsignor Higgins would be concerned about the worker, the person, and the family whose lives are affected by a host of factors,” Bishop Murphy said. “He would weigh up and measure all those factors by their overall impact on human beings. Monsignor would have pointed out the lack of union representation in so many of the emerging industries and workplaces where exploitation has been most evident.”
The Church, Bishop Murphy said, continues to focus on the dignity of the worker as “the cornerstone of Catholic teaching on economic life.” The “challenge of overcoming poverty brings the Catholic community together,” he said.
Given the coming national elections, the Labor Day statement reminds Catholics to use Catholic social and moral teaching to assess issues of economic justice, human life and dignity. Bishop Murphy cited the bishops’ Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship, a document updated every four years, in stressing the need to form a correct conscience in decision-making, based not on personal feelings or individual popularity, but on the truth of the human person and human society. Bishop Murphy said this is determined by examining “candidates and issues from the perspective of human life and dignity, the true good of society, the common good of us all in our nation and in this world.”
The Labor Day statement highlights Faithful Citizenship’s words on economic justice, work and workers’ rights. It outlines what comprises a just economy and “makes both links and distinctions between the fundamental duty to oppose what is intrinsically evil (i.e., the destruction of unborn life) and the obligation to pursue the common good (i.e., defending rights of workers and pursuing greater economic justice),” Bishop Murphy said.
Number of Food Stamp Recipients in North Dakota Increases in 2007
According to the report, nearly 47 percent of all food stamp recipients were 18 years or younger.
U.S. Bishops Urge Priority For Poor Families In National Response To Economic Stress
In a letter dated January 23, Bishop William Murphy, chairman of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, called on government leaders to find effective ways to protect the poorest families and low wage workers from financial hardship during this economic downturn.
The letter also expressed support for strengthening existing programs such as unemployment compensation, food stamp benefits, and the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) as effective means to assist families and help the economy.
In a time in which a growing number of Americans are facing increasing financial hardship due to a slowing economy, rising unemployment and an inability to meet mortgage obligations and consumer bills, the bishops reminded leaders of the moral obligations we all share to care for the neediest among us.
A good society, Bishop Murphy wrote, is measured by the extent to which those with responsibility attend to the needs of the weaker members, especially those most in need. Economic polices that help lower-income working families live in decency and with dignity should be a clear and common priority.
He concluded by reminding the nations leaders that the poor working people and their families will be disproportionately hurt by this declining economy.
The Human Family: A Community of Peace
Action Alert: Farm Bill Priorities
Call
Your Senators Today
Ask
Them to Support Amendments that Feed the Hungry and
Target Farm Supports to Those Who Need It
Most
The Senate will be voting on
The Food and Energy
Security Act (HR 2419), the version of the Farm
Bill approved by its Senate Agriculture Committee
last week. We urgently need your help in supporting
critical funding for Food Stamps and emergency food
assistance; reforms in commodity supports to help
smaller and moderate scale farmers; as well as
support for conservation programs that benefit all
rural communities.
Immediate Action
Required:
Call Senator Byron Dorgan and
Senator Conrad (click for contact information.)
Urge our Senators to:
Vote YES on
amendments that provide additional funding for
Food Stamps and for emergency food assistance
(TEFAP). The
Senate Agriculture Committee-approved bill
contains $1 billion less in new investments for
the Food Stamp Program and The Emergency Food
Assistance Program (TEFAP) than the House-passed
bill (H.R. 2419).
Vote YES on
the Dorgan-Grassley amendment, which ensures
support for U.S. farmers who need it most.
Today 66 percent of
commodity payment programs go to 10 percent of our
nation’s farmers, the biggest and most
affluent. Urge the Senate to pass a fair commodity
title that better targets payments to those who
need them while closing loopholes that have
permitted the powerful to collect multiple
payments. The status quo, which directs the
majority of payments to large and wealthy
agribusinesses while leaving behind the majority
of farm families, is
unacceptable.
Vote YES on
amendments that reduce trade-distorting
subsidies. Our brothers and sisters who
till the land in developing countries, where
three-quarters of the population rely on
small-scale farming for their livelihood, are
struggling to survive in an increasingly global
market that stymies their efforts to feed their
families and work their way out of
poverty.
Support the
Food Aid provisions of the bill.
Support the
committee bill which provides for a
“safebox” with no waivers, and sets
aside $600 million of PL 480 Title II resources
for development programs. We must protect
Title II resources that address chronic hunger, in
order to mitigate future emergencies and to help
the poorest reach long term food security. Oppose
attempts to weaken Committee-passed provisions on
Food Aid.
Background:
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops,
National Catholic Rural Life Conference, Catholic
Charities USA and Catholic Relief Services have been
working together to seek a new kind of Farm Bill that
reflects a commitment to feed the hungry at home and
abroad, to offer effective support for those who till
the land, while promoting fairness and equity for
farmers and ranchers. We especially support efforts
to target agriculture resources to those who need
help the most rather than those who need it
least.
The 2007 Farm Bill was approved by
the U.S. House of Representatives (HR 2419) this
summer. The Senate expects to begin voting on its
version of the Farm Bill the week of November 5. The
bill approved by the Senate Agriculture Committee
makes important investments in conservation and
includes key provisions for beginning farmers and
socially disadvantaged farmers. However, more needs
to be done to address the inequities in farm
supports, especially programs that are trade
distorting and that harm farmers in developing
countries. While ensuring a genuine farm safety net,
savings from greater fairness improvements need to be
used for nutrition assistance to low-income people,
conservation and rural
development.
We will continue to work for
fairness and justice in our food and farm policies as
the Farm bill moves to conference committee for final
passage, possibly before
Thanksgiving.
The U.S.
Bishops have stated that "the primary goals of
agricultural policies should be providing food for
all people and reducing poverty among farmers and
farmworkers in this country and abroad." (For I Was
Hungry and You Gave Me Food: Catholic Reflections on
Food, Farmers and Farmworkers). See letters on
USCCB’s 2007 Farm Bill priorities at:
http://www.usccb.org/sdwp/national/agric.shtml.
Click here for a pdf copy of the Action
Alert.
Amendment Offered to Exclude Catholic Church from Housing Program
The House is debating H.R. 1427, the Federal Housing Reform Act of 2007, with a final vote coming as early as Tuesday, May 22. While the USCCB has no position on H.R. 1427, which establishes new regulations for Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and the Federal Home Loan Banks, there are two issues the USCCB is following:
(1) HR 1427 includes a provision reserving some $500,000,000 a year as a dedicated source of funding for an affordable housing trust fund. The Catholic bishops have long supported the creation of a national housing trust fund as one way to meet our nation’s promise of a decent home for every American family.
A National Housing Trust Fund would serve as a source of revenue for the production of new housing, and the preservation or rehabilitation of existing housing that is affordable for low income people.
The lack of affordable housing in our nation threatens the well-being of families and the economic life of our communities. The lack of housing in our communities affects economic development—businesses simply will not locate in communities where their workers cannot live.
(2) An amendment has been offered (Mr. Hensarling AMENDMENT NO. 28) that would have the effect of excluding the Catholic Church and other religious organizations from using the housing trust funds to help low-income families gain the housing they desperately need.
A similar amendment was offered to a version of this bill in the last Congress. On October 3, 2005, Bishop DiMarzio wrote to then Speaker of the House J. Dennis Hastert urging the rejection of proposals to restrict eligibility for the affordable housing funds, which would have excluded most Catholic agencies.
“Proposals that would limit eligible recipients to organizations that have as their primary purpose the provision of affordable housing would effectively prevent Catholic dioceses, parishes and Catholic Charities agencies from participating in Affordable Housing Fund programs. Similarly, proposals that would prohibit recipients from engaging in voter registration and lobbying activities with their own funds during the period they are utilizing affordable housing funds would force Catholic agencies to choose between participating in Affordable Housing Fund programs or engaging in constitutionally protected voter registration and lobbying activities with their own funds.
“I urge you to oppose inclusion of these kinds of unnecessary limitations and prohibitions … as [the bill] moves to the House floor for a vote. There are ample ways to write safeguards into the legislation to prevent the diversion of affordable housing funds to uses other than what they are intended without requiring recipients to forego their constitutionally protected rights as a condition for participating in Affordable Housing Fund programs.” (Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio letter on Affordable Housing Fund, October 3, 2005)
The USCCB urges a vote against these types of Amendments.
ACTION REQUESTED:
- Call Your Representative(s) and urge them to support the inclusion of the Affordable Housing Fund in H.R. 1427.
- Ask them to oppose the Hensarling Amendment #28 whose effect would exclude the Catholic Community from using these funds to help house low income families.
- Please use this toll free number, 877-210-5351, for the congressional switchboard and ask to be connected to your Representative’s office.
Minimum Wage Proposals - One Passed, One Rejected, Two Pending
The Associated Press has a summary of the bills and their status here.
Minimum Wage Bills in Senate Committee
Minimum Wage
Meanwhile, the U.S. Senate plans to begin debate next week on raising the federal minimum wage. To help, check out this action alert from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Go here to learn more about what Catholic social teaching has to say about a minumum wage.
