Tra la, it’s May! The lusty month of May … so goes the song from Lerner and Lowe’s musical “Camelot”. A time to enjoy the sights, sounds, and smells of spring and to dance around the maypole. But it’s also time to reflect on the status of labor in our society.
On the church calendar, May 1st is the Feast of St. Joseph the Worker. A day that the Catholic Church honors the dignity of work. The rights of workers has been an essential part of Catholic teaching. In 1891, Pope Leo XIII issued Rerum Novarum (Rights and Duties of Capital and Labor). This was an important document and led to improvement in working conditions during the early decades of the 20th Century. I am thrilled that a Catholic, Joe Biden is the most pro-labor president in my lifetime.
May 1st is also International Worker’s Day, the day on which most countries celebrate Labor Day. Of course, in the United States May Day conjures up images of tanks and missiles on parade in the former Soviet Union. But in the rest of the developed world where the labor movement is stronger, it is celebrated as a holiday.
During the three decades after World War II, labor and government provided a counterbalance against corporate interests. In the mid-1950s, 35% of workers belonged to labor unions. Last year, 10.8% of workers were in a union. This decline can be attributed to the anti-union sentiment ushered in during the Reagan years as well as the increase in right-to-work (for less) laws enacted in the last decade.
With the new administration, it appears that labor is rebounding slowly with the Fight for $15 and legislation such as the PRO Act being passed by the House. A good resource for labor issues is the Economic Policy Institute.
Equity - Environment - Economic Justice 