Labor Day Statement

Archbishop Thomas G. Wenski of Miami
Chairman, Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
September 7, 2015

Families have been receiving a lot of attention recently. In his encyclical, Laudato Si’, Pope Francis teaches that of all the groups that play a role in the welfare of society and help ensure respect for human dignity, “outstanding among [them] is the family, as the basic cell of society” (no. 157).

Yet, scarcely a week goes by without a news story highlighting that fewer young adults are choosing to start families than ever before in America. Not long ago, jobs, wages, and the economy were on everyone’s mind. Unemployment, poverty, and foreclosures soared as Americans worried, rightly, if we could ever recover. Even with some economic progress, things have not truly improved for most American families. We must not resign ourselves to a ‘new normal’ with an economy that does not provide stable work at a living wage for too many men and women. The poverty rate remains painfully high. The unemployment rate has declined, yet much of that is due to people simply giving up looking for a job, not because they have found full-time work. The majority of jobs provide little in the way of sufficient wages, retirement benefits, stability, or family security, and too many families are stringing together part-time jobs to pay the bills. Opportunities for younger workers are in serious decline.

The continuing struggles of most families to make ends meet are on display before our eyes, both at home and abroad. This Labor Day, we have a tremendous opportunity to reflect on how dignified work with a living wage is critical to helping our families and our greater society thrive. Our

Families Need Help and Support
Labor should allow the worker to develop and flourish as a person.... (click here for full statement)