As the King Soopers strike heads into its second of two weeks, Catholic Christians might begin to wonder: what does the Church teach about labor unions and strikes?
Without commenting on the specifics of this particular labor strike, there is much to learn from Catholic Social Teaching about economic activity, social justice and the rights of workers.
The Dignity of Work
Created in the image and likeness of God, man is the pinnacle of creation (cf. Gen 2). Just as God labored to create the universe and everything within it, mankind is called to co-labor with the Creator to bring about God’s plan for mankind. Our work, when offered to God in humility, can be sanctifying for us and enriching for those around us (cf. CCC 2427).
Jesus Christ, the perfect man who serves as a perfect model for our own lives shows us the dignity of work in his own life, Gaudium et Spes, the Second Vatican Council’s Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, teaches: “Indeed, we hold that through labor offered to God man is associated with the redemptive work of Jesus Christ, who conferred an eminent dignity on labor when at Nazareth he worked with his own hands” (GS 67).
Work, properly ordered, is a good thing. It “honors the Creator’s gifts and the talents received from him;” “work can be a means of sanctification and a way of animating earthly realities with the Spirit of Christ” (CCC 2427).
In short, the Catechism of the Catholic Church quips, summarizing Pope St. John Paul II’s teaching in Laborem Exercens 6, “Work is for man, not man for work” (CCC 2428).
Economic Conflict, The Right to Organize and Employers’ Obligations
The Catechism quickly turns from the dignity of work to the recognition that economic conflicts often arise between “different interests, often opposed to one another” and calls on those different interests to work together through meaningful dialogue to “reduce these conflicts” through “negotiation that respects the rights and duties of each social partner: those responsible for business enterprises, representatives of wage-earners (for example, trade unions), and public authorities when appropriate” (CCC 2430).
Though only a footnote in the Catechism, labor unions are seen as an “indispensable element of social life” in the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Catholic Church (CSDC 305). They are called to represent their members well, protecting their rights and working for the common good, avoiding a struggle against perceived enemies or one to seek greater power (CSDC 305-307).
Reminiscent of Jesus words in the Gospel of Luke — “Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more” (Lk 12:48) — the Catechism explains that much is required of “those responsible for business enterprises,” listing three obligations:
They “are responsible to society for the economic and ecological effects of their operations” (CCC 2432);
“They have an obligation to consider the good of persons and not only the increase of profits” (CCC 2432);
And to provide a just wage (CCC 2434).
Noting the necessity of profits for future economic development and employment guarantees, the Catechism strongly emphasizes the worker’s right to a just wage, teaching, “A just wage is the legitimate fruit of work. To refuse or withhold it can be a grave injustice” (CCC 2434). Determining a just wage involves more than a simple Google search to see what fair-market value might be; it involves balancing “both the needs and the contributions of each person,” allowing for them to provide for their family, and moral considerations. Just because someone might agree to a lower-than-just wage does not make it morally acceptable, the Catechism emphatically states (CCC 2434).
The Right to Strike
Amid labor and economic disputes, workers have “morally legitimate” recourse to strike as long as:
“Every other method for the resolution of disputes has been ineffectual” (CSDC 304);
“It is necessary to obtain a proportionate benefit” (CCC 2435);
It is peaceful (CCC 2435);
Its objectives are directly related to working conditions (CCC 2435);
And its goals are aligned with the common good (CCC 2435).
As an important caveat, Pope St. John Paul II adds in Laborem Exercens, “It must never be forgotten that, when essential community services are in question, they must in every case be ensured, if necessary by means of appropriate legislation” (LE 20).
When all of these conditions are met, the saintly pope continues, “this method is recognized by Catholic social teaching as legitimate in the proper conditions and within just limits. In this connection workers should be assured the right to strike, without being subjected to personal penal sanctions for taking part in a strike” (LE 20).
While workers have the right to strike, the last-ditch effort should not be abused, for “abuse of the strike weapon can lead to the paralysis of the whole of socioeconomic life, and this is contrary to the requirements of the common good of society, which also corresponds to the properly understood nature of work itself” (LE 20).
Because of the disruption inherent to a strike, other options should be exhausted before striking and “proportionate benefit” should be considered. If the strike is accompanied by violence or is meant to achieve goals “not directly linked to working conditions” or ones “contrary to the common good,” it becomes “morally unacceptable” (CCC 2435).
