The provision of just wages for all workers is a critical component
of a moral economy, said the head of the U.S. bishops’ Domestic Justice
and Human Development committee in his Labor Day message.
“Today, there are many families who, even if they have technically
escaped poverty, nevertheless face significant difficulties in meeting
basic needs,” said Bishop Frank J. Dewane of Venice. “Wages for lower
income workers are, by various accounts, insufficient to support a
family and provide a secure future.”
In his 2018 Labor Day statement, the bishop emphasized that all
Christians share the responsibility of building a human-centered
economy.
“The economy must serve people, not the other way around,” he said.
“Work is more than a way to make a living; it is a form of participating
in God's creation. If the dignity of work is to be protected, then the
basic rights of workers must be respected, including the right to
productive work, to decent and fair wages, to organizing and joining
unions, to private property, and to economic initiative.”
