Guest Column: Faith and Labor: What’s the Connection?

By Father Michael Seavey & Rabbi Hillel Katzir

When UAW President Shawn Fain addressed the Maine AFL-CIO state convention in Bangor this year, he listed four foundational pillars for their union and contract negotiations. Those pillars are “A Living Wage”, “Adequate Health Care”, “Retirement Security”, and “Our Time”. A series of articles will take each of these foundational pillars and manifest the Faith/Labor connection.

A Living Wage

Brother Shawn reminded us that every worker deserves “a decent wage” bringing the ability to “live comfortably with a decent quality of life.” Our religious traditions of Judaism and Roman Catholicism stand in solidarity with this. We share in common God’s call for justice found in Israel’s Law and prophets. This justice requires adequate compensation for workers and for households to secure a healthy life.

As stated in The Book of Deuteronomy, “You shall not defraud a poor and needy hired servant, whether he be one of your own countrymen or one of the aliens who live in your communities. You shall pay him each day’s wages before sundown on the day itself since he is poor and looks forward to them. Otherwise, he will cry to the Lord against you, and you will be held guilty.” 24:14-15 The Prophet Isaiah speaks for all prophets, “Woe to those who enact unjust statutes and who write oppressive decrees, depriving the needy of judgment and robbing the poor of their rights. Making the widows their plunder and the orphans their prey.” (10:1, 2)

The Union for Reform Judaism, in 1965, called on the government to assure a “decent standard of living” for all who work. In 2008, the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism instructed its members to treat workers with dignity and respect, including: paying a living wage; and allowing employees to make their own decisions about unionization. Clearly, Judaism teaches that paying a living wage is not just a good thing to do; it is what justice demands.

In 1891, Pope Leo XIII issued an official teaching entitled Rerum Novarum. Flowing from the concept of human dignity, Pope Leo taught that employers were required to treat their workers justly and award a just compensation for their labors.

Official Catholic teaching offers that a just wage should “guarantee man the opportunity to provide a dignified livelihood for himself and his family…” “Just wage” has also been referred to as a “living wage” or a “family wage.” Pope Leo also rejected allowing free markets to set wages and salary on the laws of supply and demand. Of course, this is the system our nation uses to determine wages. Several popes following Pope Leo further developed his teaching of a just wage to the needs of their times.

In 1981, Pope John Paul II listed a “just wage” as an essential human right. Giving workers a “just wage” requires the complete transformation of our national economy. Empowering labor unions advocating for these wages is a major component to this goal.

Father Mike Seavey is a Roman Catholic priest and served as Faith/Labor Liaison for the Maine AFL-CIO. Although officially retired, he remains active in ministry and especially in workplace justice issues. Rabbi Hillel Katzir is a retired rabbi and former lawyer. He served as spiritual leader of Temple Shalom in Auburn from 2003 to 2014.