Dear Friends,
Each year, the bishops of the United States offer a statement on Labor Day encouraging support of
workers and protection of their rights. Here is this year’s statement:
This Labor Day, let us recommit ourselves to building together a society that honors the human dignity of
all who labor. Through the treasure of Catholic social teaching, we have a long history of proclaiming the
essential role labor plays in helping people to live out their human dignity.
Our Catholic faith calls us to pray, work, and advocate for protections that allow all laborers to thrive—
both those newly arrived in our country and those whose families have been here for generations. We
believe in the dignity of work precisely because each of our brothers and sisters is a beloved child of God,
made in his own image and likeness, and imbued with inherent dignity. Throughout Scripture, we see
time and again how God shows us we must care for those who are vulnerable and honor the sacredness
of everyone—no matter his or her circumstances in life. In Matthew’s Gospel, we read the parable of the
workers in the vineyard as an example of the Father’s overflowing love for each of his children. In that
parable, the master pays all the workers a “just” wage despite working for differing lengths of time.
Their remuneration is given simply because he desires that we all have the resources to thrive. Dignified
work reflects that our humanity gives us an active role to play in cultivating the world around us.
Through work, we exercise dominion over how we provide the material needs for ourselves and our
families. God desires for us to do more than simply survive but to thrive.
Yet, in today’s economy, too many people and families are living in poverty due to jobs with low pay that
often provide little or no benefits, erratic work schedules, and offer insufficient protections. At the same
time, union representation has diminished, especially in the private sector, leaving workers with less
protection and a weakened bargaining position. We know it does not have to be this way.
Many communities and sectors of the economy are grappling with labor shortages due to changing
demographics and other factors, with some looking to immigrants to fill the gaps. Pope Benedict XVI
pointed out, following his predecessors and consistently confirmed by research, that immigrants boost
innovation and overall economic output. In the U.S., immigrants’ contributions have a net positive
impact on the federal deficit. Despite these economic benefits, the progress we have made as a society
toward safer, more just working conditions, and the Church’s essential and consistent teaching, we often
see immigrant laborers mistreated at a higher rate than their native-born counterparts, including
through the evil of human trafficking. Additionally, immigrants face outright hostility and discrimination
due in part to misconceptions and harmful political rhetoric dismissive of the human person.
For decades, the Church has advocated for changes to the immigration system, recognizing that it does
not adequately address the needs of American families, employers, communities, or immigrants. These
shortcomings, when coupled with the issue of labor shortages, have increased opportunities for the
exploitation of immigrants and led some to resort to using children as a supplemental source of labor.
This Labor Day, may we recognize all the laborers in the Lord’s vineyard and embrace them for who they
truly are—our brothers and sisters: “So you too should love the resident alien, for that is what you were
in the land of Egypt.” Let us strive without ceasing to protect the sacredness of human life and together
build a society that respects and uplifts each person’s human dignity.
May we listen well to the bishops and heed their call to work for everyone’s dignity.
Peace,
Fr. Damian