Labor movement, like the Church, advocates for worker

Editor’s Note: The Mass for the Feast of Saint Joseph the Worker on May 1 at the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart, Newark, co-sponsored by the NJ AFL-CIO, has been canceled. Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, CSsR, Archbishop of Newark, was to celebrate the liturgy, with Father Jon Thomas, pastor of Christ the King Parish, Haddonfield, among the concelebrants. Cardinal Tobin is in Rome for the papal conclave.

“Jeff Bezos may have gone to space, but I’ll get to go to heaven.” So said a business leader upon accepting an award at a union event last year. He spoke humbly of achieving a mutually beneficial relationship with his employees.

I attended the event to offer the invocation at the NJ AFL-CIO’s annual convention in Atlantic City, as I have done for the last several years as the organization’s chaplain. The organization represents 1 million workers from 22 unions in the state, from carpenters and electricians to firefighters and postal workers.

In the U.S. Catholic Church, two issues tend to dominate our faith-based activism: abortion and immigration. Often, these issues have separate activist groups. The original issue behind the advent of modern Catholic social doctrine – the 1891 encyclical, “Rerum Novarum” – has the opportunity to unite Catholic activists. In his letter, Pope Leo XIII “thought it expedient now to speak on the condition of the working classes.” (no. 2)

Many say labor problems have been solved, at least in developed nations like the United States. Consider these facts, however:

• When I was pastor of the Parish of Saint Monica in Atlantic City, I learned about parishioners who were asked to clean an unreasonable number of hotel rooms in a single shift and about the dangers a female housekeeper faced when entering a room alone with a male guest. These workers’ union, Unite Here Local 54, defended them.

• In 2021, Amazon apologized for belittling comments from a U.S. congressman that their drivers were afraid to stop at restrooms. While not admitting fault, Amazon at least admitted the problem was real.

• It wasn’t until the same year that Congress passed legislation that required employers to provide “reasonable accommodation” to pregnant employees. The bill passed the House with support from all Democrats and half of Republicans.

• Nurses at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick were on strike for 120 days in late 2023 until management agreed to safer staffing levels. Meanwhile, the health system’s CEO made $17 million in 2021. Remember that these hospitals, as nonprofits, receive significant tax breaks.

The halving of union membership in the last 40 years and the rise of the “gig economy” (think Uber drivers) could mean a new generation of workers will lack a loud and distinct voice of support. Catholic social doctrine values the role of “intermediate organizations” that stand between the individual and the state. Such groups, from Boy Scouts to neighborhood associations, are the building blocks of civil society. They also include labor unions.

People may complain that unions are imperfect advocates of the worker. Unions are in good company. The Second Vatican Council taught, “The Church on earth is endowed already with a sanctity that is real but imperfect.” (LG 48). The labor movement, like the Church, is an imperfect messenger with an transformative message.

Whether you are a union member, activist or neither, I invite you to a unique celebration of the dignity of human work. On Thursday, May 1, the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark will host a Mass for the Feast of Saint Joseph the Worker, co-sponsored by the NJ AFL-CIO. Cardinal Joseph Tobin will celebrate the Mass in the French Gothic cathedral equal in size to Westminster Abbey and taller than Saint Patrick’s Cathedral.

Father Jon Thomas is pastor of Christ the King Parish, Haddonfield, and chaplain for New Jersey AFL-CIO.

If You Go

What: Mass for the Feast of Saint Joseph the Worker, co-sponsored by the NJ AFL-CIO

When: May 1, 10 a.m.

Where: Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart, Newark