Labor
Day is all about the tremendous dignity of the worker and his/her work. This great dignity of the person has its
origin in the different faiths. As we
celebrate Labor Day, let us reflect on the great dignity of every worker and
his work.
The
great dignity of every single person, ---active or retired, able or
disabled, educated or illiterate, employed or unemployed, from the president of
the firm down to the lowest laborer---,
is the basis for the social
teachings of the Church. Each
one of us is created according to the image and likeness of God (Genesis
1:27). God dwells in each person; we are
temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). Christ died for every one of us so that we
may have eternal life in heaven. Thus
the worker should be treated as that dignity demands.
Jews, Muslims, and
Christians all believe that even the lowest paid worker has this great dignity
because s/he was created by God according to His image and likeness. Christians of all denominations add that
Christ as God loves each one of us so much that He suffered and died to save us
from our sins and give us eternal life.
Christians draw inspiration from His words, "Whatever you do to the
least of mine, you do it unto Me" (Matthew 25:40). As I understand it, the Hindus use the word
"Namaste" as a greeting, which means welcome and/or "I
acknowledge the divine in you".
Secular humanists, in their own way also believe in the dignity of the
person.
The
great dignity of work was emphasized by Pope John Paul II in 1981 in his
second encyclical, “Laborem
Exercens On Human Work” (see http://www.newadvent.org/library/docs_jp02le.htm)
. It was devoted to the theology of
work. Work in itself has great dignity because
man (in a generic sense) uses work to participate with God in creation which is
ongoing.....to construct buildings, to create goods & services, and works
of art. After all God gave us dominion
over the earth and all of its resources according to Genesis 1:27 to use them
for the common good of all through work.......not selfishly for the select
few. Of course we have the grave social
responsibility to use all of the resources of the earth without wasting them or
harming God's creation, the environment.
Christians
in general view work as a high calling.....a calling to be co-workers with God
in unfolding the rich potential of His creation. Martin Luther preached that even the most
menial work should be done for the glory of God. This
conviction led to the Protestant work ethic which some scholars say was
a major factor in the economic development of the West after the Reformation.
St. Ignatius Loyola,
advocated a similar work ethic ("Ad
majorem Dei gloriam") as part of the Catholic
Counter-reformation. Traditionally, the
Catholic Church has used St. Joseph the Worker to promote the dignity of the
worker and work (See Blog #81). May 1 is
his feast day.
These concepts have
had a great influence upon business practice especially in regard to ethics,
social responsibility, social justice, and legislation against abuses in the
the workplace.....slavery, child-labor, unsafe & inhumane working
conditions, unjust wages, etc.
For example, John
Wesley pricked the conscience of 19th Century Britain. Two of his disciples, William Wilberforce
& Lord Shaftesbury were reformers in the British Parliament. Wilberforce was very influential in the
abolition of slavery and the abolitionists in America were similarly motivated.
Leo XIII's May 15,
1891 Papal encyclical "Rerum Novarum - On the Condition of Labor” (www.papalencyclicals.net/Leo13/l13rerum.htm) had a world wide impact on social legislation and fomented
a social conscience among managers. It
condemned the evils wrought by the Industrial Revolution due to the abuse of
the profit motive as manifested in greed and unjust exploitation that were the
seeds of social unrest, as well as atheistic Communism and Socialism. These included such abuses as inhuman and
unsafe working conditions, unjust wages, long hours, child labor, etc. It condemned socialism which at that time was
atheistic and negated basic freedoms and the right to own property.
According to the
dignity of man, a person has a right to own private property and the means of
production, but that right entails a grave social responsibility......the
obligation to use that productive property for the common good of all. God gave the riches of the earth to all,
including our own personal talents to be shared and used for all......not to a
chosen few. The gifted and the affluent
are stewards more than owners......a grave social responsibility to use them
not only for themselves, but also for the common good of all.......to help
others.
Pope Leo XIII
condemned the Socialist class struggle as being unchristian. Hate the sin, but love the sinner. Each needs the other......Capital cannot do
without labor and labor cannot do without capital. There's a great interdependence there. Both are indispensable means of production.
The encyclical
asserted the right of Labor to organize and bargain with Management, which
implies the right to strike as a last resort to be exercised in a responsible
manner with the common good in mind. Yet
justice demands an honest day's work for an honest day's wage. There's responsibility on both sides. At the same time, the Government must protect
the worker's rights and both sides from abuses by the other while promoting the
common good of all.
The social teaching of
the Church is really the compilation of the social encyclicals of Pope Leo XIII
and his successors. Each Pope updated
the teaching of his predecessors without contradiction in a marvelous unity according
to changing conditions. Forty years
later in 1931, Pope Pius XI wrote “Quadragesimo Anno - On the Reconstruction of
the Social Order” (http://www.newadvent.org/library/docs_pi11qa.htm). Pope Pius
XII further updated them in his radio broadcasts in 1941. Pope John XXIII followed with Mater et
Magistra (Mother & Teacher) (http://www.papalencyclicals.net/John23/j23mater.htm) in 1961. Pope
Paul VI brought in other points with “Octogesima Adveniens - A Call to Action”
(http://www.osjspm.org/document.doc?id=67) in 1971 and Pope John Paul II with Centesimus Annus
in 1991, centenary of the landmark encyclical of Leo XIII (http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/encyclicals/documents/hf_jp-ii_enc_01051991_centesimus-annus_en.html) .
It was through the
Newman Club that I got my love for the social encyclicals. At the Louisiana State University Catholic
Student Center, our Graduate Student Discussion Group discussed the two great
social encyclicals of Pope John XXIII.......Mater et Magistra (Mother &
Teacher) and Pacem in Terris (Peace on Earth).
Then as a lay missionary (Papal Volunteer sponsored by the Baltimore
Archdiocese) assigned to Arequipa-Peru, I wrote a series of reviews of the
social encyclicals from with Rerum Novarum (On the Condition of Labor) to
Humanae Vitae (On Human Life) and Laborem Exercens (On Human Work) under the
general title of “The Popes: Precursors
of Social Change” which really described the evolution of the social teaching
of the Church.
Appreciating the
Great Value of Each Worker. Each
member of an organization has a different personality and set of talents and
skills that few others can duplicate as well in the organization. In that way each person, including the lowest
paid worker, is rather unique and contributes to the organization in a special
way. In time that worker at the end of
the chain of command gets to be quite good at his/her job and is often sorely
missed if absent for some reason. Each
job makes a contribution and is important.
Even the top executives in the firm cannot do the job of most of their
subordinates. For example, as a Chemical
Engineer I was able to tell the technician putting in our new heating and
cooling unit the theory of how it works.
But don't ask me to do install it.
The machine operator often knows more about his machine than the
engineer and can give excellent ideas if they are welcomed. Thus there is a great interdependence among
all the employees and every worker has an important part in accomplishing the
mission of the organization.
If we can accept the
reality of the great value and dignity of the worker and his/her work either
from a secular humanist or spiritual point of view, managers will appreciate,
value, and treat the employee with love, dignity, and respect, s/he will have
greater job satisfaction and be more
creative and productive. If Labor
and Management can have these concepts
in common, labor harmony will be enhanced.
If the employee feels s/he and his/her work are important, appreciated,
and valued by his/her superiors, s/he will have greater job satisfaction and
will be more motivated to give his/her very best effort.
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