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What We Can Do to Honor A Great Priest
Fr. Sinclair Oubre, J.C.L.
Labor Day 2002
On May 1, 2002, a great Chicago
priest, a personal mentor, and one of the last great American labor
priests died. Msgr. George Higgins dedicated his entire 62-years of
priesthood to the service of workers, and in proclaiming the Catholic
Social Gospel. The fact that his death occurred on the Feast Day of St.
Joseph the Worker did not escape his many friends. It seemed as though
God was saying: Good job, George.
This year, Cardinal McCarrick of Washington, D.C. dedicated the annual
Bishops’ Labor Day Statement (http://www.usccb.org) to Msgr. Higgins.
Cardinal McCarrick noted:
“In his priestly ministry, Msgr. Higgins built bridges between the
Catholic Church and the labor movement in the Untied States. He
developed and maintained communication between Catholics and Jews. He
helped field hands and farmworkers to join togther to improve their
lot. He shared and interpreted the words and vision of the Second
Vatican Council. He spoke truth to the power. He was a man of
conviction, humor, humility. His example should guide us as we approach
Labor Day this year.”
Msgr. Higgins dedicated the last years of his life to the National
Interfaith Committee for Worker Justice (www.nicwj.org). I am
privileged to serve on the Board of Directors of this important
institution which rebuilds the bridges between the labor movement and
the churches, especially the Catholic Church, and establishes common
ground between men and women of many different faiths in the area of
workers and worker rights.
In looking at the past year, the NICWJ is calling on men and women of
good will to see the bond that exists between faith and work. This bond
inevitably leads to some concerns. NICWJ suggests the following steps
as first starts and solutions to some of the problems that plague
workers.
1) Raise the minimum wage to at least $6.50 per hour. The last time the
minimum wage was increased was 1997.Because of inflation, workers have
already lost all of their gains since the increase. Nearly nine million
workers, 35 percent of whom are the sole supports for their families,
would benefit by an increase.
2) Reform and improve the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). This
is the major law that protects most workers, defines overtime,
prohibits child labor, and requires employers to maintain records. Over
the years, more and more workers have been exempted from overtime
provisions.
The Act needs to be updated and improved to strengthen conditions in
the workplace. The Department of Labor and Congress should
conduct field hearings around the country to hear from workers (and not
just business) about how to improve the Act.
3) Create a rational immigration process for workers. Millions of
undocumented workers live and work in the U.S., but without legal
papers. Most of them work hard, pay taxes and are raising families.
Many of our restaurants, farms, factories, child care agencies, nursing
homes,
hotels and construction companies depend on these immigrant workers.
Without a rational immigration policy, workers are subject to
exploitation and harassment.
4) Establish Living Wages for all Workers. Over 80 cities around the
country have passed living wage bills, requiring that companies that
contract with cities or counties pay “livable” wages. The definitions
of a living wage vary from city to city, but essentially the bills seek
to improve wages for workers. Thousands of people of faith have joined
in supporting these bills. As a society, we need wages that
can raise a family in dignity, enough to pay rent or a
mortgage. Living wage must also include health care for the
family and savings for retirement.
So how do we get living wages? In our congregations, we can
advocate for living wages for the janitors and secretaries. In
our jobs, we can advocate for higher wages and benefits for the lowest
paid workers. In our cities, we can pass living wage bills.
Perhaps it is time for a national
living wage bill to ensure that federal contractors pay living wages, as well as obey labor laws.
5) Protect workers’ right to organize. Over the decades, workers
have improved conditions by organizing themselves into unions. Some
have suggested that unions are a thing of the past. Given
the increasing number of low-wage jobs with routine violations of labor
laws, unions
and the protections they bring are needed more than ever; which is why
immigrants and women are looking to unions in record numbers. But,
companies are opposing unions in an ever more harsh and illegal manner,
firing workers who organize, threatening to call the INS, and
inundating workers with anti-union videos and messages. This is wrong,
and congregations are challenging these harsh tactics. A new worker
sanctuary movement is beginning to take shape in which congregations
offer sanctuary to workers who are seeking to organize and improve
conditions in the workplace.
Fr. Sinclair Oubre, J.C.L.
Port Arthur, Texas
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