Can a bishop be a union basher?

The following editorial appeared in the Canadian publication, The New Catholic Times, March 28, 2008.


“Unions helped my grandfather and my father, and the Catholic Church stood behind those unions,” she said, noting she has a grandson at Holy Redeemer high school in Wilkes-Barre. “I never thought I’d see the day the Catholic Church would abandon the common worker.”

Can a bishop be a union basher? A sad tale in from the Pennsylvania coal fields.

It was Pope Leo Xlll in 1891 who responded to the great labour crisis of the nineteenth century by championing the free association of workers. Every pope since then has done the same. Perhaps the most forceful of all has been the late John Paul ll who quite correctly saw the radical imbalance between capital and labour in this age of globalization.

In one of the most brilliant papal encyclicals ever, Laborem Exercens (1981) the late pope reminded the Catholic people about "the indispensable" need for unions. In section 21 of this prophetic statement, John Paul ll says:

All these rights, 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. The vital interests of the workers are to a certain extent common for all of them; at the same time, however, each type of work, each profession, has its own specific character which should find a particular reflection in these organizations.

The modern unions grew up from the struggle of the workers--workers in general but especially the industrial workers--to protect their just rights vis-a-vis the entrepreneurs and the owners of the means of production. 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. Obviously this does not mean that only industrial workers can set up associations of this type. Representatives of every profession can use them to ensure their own rights.

In summation: There is a need for solidarity movements among and with the workers. The church is firmly committed to this cause, in fidelity to Christ, and to be truly the "church of the poor." (LE #6)

THE SCRANTON SITUATION

Which brings us to the lamentable situation in the Scranton, Pennsylvania diocese where the bishop Joseph Martino is denying the teachers the right to form a union - one they have had for thirty years. The bishop prefers "an employees relations program." He maintains despite massive support from students, the media, parents and even priests that "the decision is final and will not be revoked, and the implementation of the employee relations program has begun." Martino, in style more akin to a dictator than a pastor, communicates through the diocesan website.

At a rally a grandmother Anna Jesse held up a sign that read "I'm old, I'm cold, but I support unions." A second sign read simply "solidarnosz," the Polish word for solidarity associated with the famous union organization which defied the state-run unions in Poland under communism. Jesse's grandfather emigrated from Poland and her father worked in the local mines.

"Unions helped my grandfather and my father, and the Catholic Church stood behind those unions," she said, noting she has a grandson at Holy Redeemer high school in Wilkes-Barre. "I never thought I'd see the day the Catholic Church would abandon the common worker."


These echo the sentiments of Holy Cross priest-professor Patrick Sullivan, who teachers at King's College in Wilkes-Barre. Sullivan, apparently more conversant then Bishop Martino with Catholic social teaching, vigorously supported the teachers. In an open letter to Martino which was reprinted locally, Sullivan challenged the bishop's thinking, suggesting he was unwisely guided by a management consultant who seemed to be promoting a "company union.". Sullivan's letter to Martino questioned the bishop's reasoning and asked him to break his silence on the issue. He suggested Martino was being unwisely guided by a management consultant rather than the rich vein of Catholic social teaching.

IS THIS REALLY 2008?

It is absolutely astounding that the bishop of Scranton is refusing to recognize a teachers' union in the Catholic system there. The teachers were quoted as saying that "the loss of their union status has left them overworked, underpaid and without a voice." Exactly why unions were formed!

Bishop Martino's office stated that "Bishop Martino has a solemn obligation to protect the Catholic identity of our schools, to ensure that a quality education is provided to our students in a safe, healthy environment, and to make Catholic education affordable for families and parishes. If personnel practices result in a tuition increase that prevents parents from enrolling their children in our Catholic schools, then the very mission of Catholic education is in jeopardy."


This statement is nonsensical. Is the good bishop saying that the mere formation of a union which may result in a living wage for teachers will jeopardize "the very mission of Catholic education?"

It is apparent that the opposite is true! If the Catholic teachers are not allowed to form a union and protect themselves and their families then "the very mission of Catholic education is in jeopardy."

Bishop Martino is sadly walking down the wrong path.

As the official spokesman of the Church in Scranton he needs to heed the words of his brother bishops who said in Justice in the World (1971):


While the Church is bound to give witness to justice, she recognizes that anyone who ventures to speak to people about justice must first be just in their eyes. Hence we must undertake an examination of the modes of acting and of the possessions and life style found within the Church herself.(40)

A final thought.

Pennsylvania is not far from Ontario and Quebec where unions are better established than in the USA. Surely Catholic teachers unions could send a delegation to the front lines of this struggle. It would mean a lot to these beleaguered teachers and it would send a strong message of social justice solidarity to a bishop who needs a serious reminder that Catholic social teaching is one of the distinguishing factors of modern Catholicism.