The Dignity Of Labor

In the 19th century, the social question was more prevalent than ever. With the medieval guild system dying out, many countries turned to Laissez-faire capitalism as a better economic system. However, what tended to happen was large corporations making huge profits from the labor of poor workers. These workers often toiled in bad working conditions for extremely little pay, dependent on the job for their survival. The situation which ensued saw many large companies in the hands of relatively few capitalists, and many oppressed workers laboring below their dignity. Let us explore the social question in depth, recognizing the rights of the working man, his dignity as a child of God, and his options to deal with injustice. 

The dignity of labor and the working man is fundamental in our understanding of social justice. “Work is for man, not man for work.” (CCC 2428) It is important to remember that workers are men first, employees second, and are not to be valued solely for their productivity. In the words of Pope St. John Paul II in his encyclical letter Centesimus Annus (given May 1, 1991): “God has imprinted his own image and likeness on man (cf. Gen 1:26), conferring upon him an incomparable dignity, as the Encyclical [i.e., Rerum Novarum] frequently insists. In effect, beyond the rights which man acquires by his own work, there exist rights which do not correspond to any work he performs, but which flow from his essential dignity as a person.” These rights include economic initiative (CCC 2429); access to employment (CCC 2433); a just wage (CCC 2434); and recourse to a legitimate strike (CCC 2435) among others. In utilitarian societies, these rights are often infringed upon or altogether ignored. It is our duty as Catholics, employers and employees alike, to promote justice in the workplace, remembering that man’s greatest end is spiritual, not material. 

Men have a natural right to work for a living, making enough to support themselves and their dependents. From this right stems the obligation for an employer to provide his employees with a proper working environment. In America during the Industrial Revolution, for example, many men, women, and children were treated as slaves by their employers. They were forced to work long hours in the “sweatshops” just to make ends meet, often in appalling safety conditions. If someone was injured on the job, he would not receive compensation for lost work; he would simply be fired, with little hope of finding another job until his injury healed. In this way, the working man was seen by the employer as nothing more than a tool for production. Once his input outweighed his output, he was terminated. Not only men, but women and children as young as four years old were also subject to these harsh conditions, and, being physically and mentally unequipped to handle such tasks, often struggled to hold the job. Not surprisingly, in his encyclical letter Rerum Novarum (given on May 15, 1891), Pope Leo XIII weighed in on the matter, saying, “It is shameful and inhuman, however, to use men as things for gain and to put no more value on them than what they are worth in muscle in energy… Likewise, more work is not to be imposed than strength can endure, nor that kind of work which is unsuited to a worker’s age or sex.” If an employer works his employees past their abilities, allowing them no other way to support their families, then he is not respecting their inherent human dignity and their natural right to make an honest living. 

In addition to ensuring their workers have appropriate working conditions, employers also have the obligation to pay them a just living wage. The living wage is the amount which meets the basic necessities of life (namely food, shelter, clothing, medical care, education, recreation, transportation, and savings) for a man and all his dependents. The living wage is not necessarily the same for everyone. For example, suppose that two men - Richie Rich and Lazarus - work at a large corporation, such as Coca-Cola, and do exactly the same kind of work. Richie Rich is single, has no dependents, and spends his money as fast as he can, while Lazarus has a wife, seven children, and relies on his job to support his family. While it may be tempting to think the employer has an obligation to pay each man the same amount (and federal regulations may insist on “equal opportunity employment” and equal pay), justice does not demand that he pay the two employees equally. An employer is obligated to pay a man enough to support himself and his dependents. As soon as the employer chose to hire Lazarus, he was obligated to respect that. On the other hand, Richie Rich has no dependents, and he doesn’t rely on the job for his livelihood, so the employer is not obligated to pay him as much. The employer may choose to pay him more than he needs (especially if he owns a lucrative company like Coca-Cola and can afford it), but he cannot pay Lazarus less than he needs. According to Rerum Novarum: “To defraud any one of wages that are his due is a great crime which cries to the avenging anger of Heaven. ‘Behold, the hire of the laborers... which by fraud has been kept back by you, crieth; and the cry of them hath entered into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth.’” This principle is also true in cases when the employees do different work. For example, if I, being the greatest baseball player in the world, am paid so much by my team that others in the organization, such as the hot dog vendor, are being paid less than a just living wage, then my salary is too high. It doesn’t matter how much more profitable my work is than his. The hot dog vendor has just as much a need (and thus a claim) to a fair living wage as I do. While the employer can and should pay the one in a million talent more, he cannot pay the hot dog vendor less than the bare minimum. 

While workers should strive to attain peace and good will with their employers, there are times when a strike from work may be morally acceptable. Striking is often used as a last resort by workers who do not feel they are getting their due from their employers. While striking can be a legitimate option, it can only be done if the good outweighs the harm. That said, public employees, such as first responders, would almost always do more harm than good by striking and should only do so in extreme circumstances. However, even first responders can strike if their rights are threatened. For example, in 2021, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot demanded that all public sector workers submit their vaccine status by October 15. Those who refused to comply, or were unvaccinated, would be placed on unpaid leave. Faced with this challenge to their right to privacy, 21 police officers were placed on “unpaid status” on October 19. Eventually, so many policemen chose to stop working that chaos was beginning to ensue, and Lightfoot was forced to back down. The police officers’ strike was morally justified according to the Catechism. CCC 2435 reads, “Recourse to a strike is morally legitimate when it cannot be avoided, or at least when it is necessary to obtain a proportionate benefit. It becomes morally unacceptable when accompanied by violence, or when objectives are included that are not directly linked to working conditions or are contrary to the common good.” Although the harm caused by the policemen not working was bad, it cannot be held against them. Mayor Lightfoot was the one who mandated that all public sector workers receive an experimental vaccine, and she was the one who threatened them with unpaid leave. The policemen had every right to refuse to share their vaccine status. If Lightfoot removed so many cops that criminals started to run wild, then that is her fault. If she had never imposed any vaccine mandates, then the police would have had no reason to stop working, and could have continued to keep the city in order. 

The working class is an important part of society. Where capitalists distribute, laborers must first produce. However, this role of the working class should not devalue them as individuals. Workers are not machines or slaves, but human men who share in the likeness of God. Therefore, their rights and dignity as men should be upheld by one and all. 

Bibliography 

Catechism of the Catholic Church (1994)  

Centesimus Annus (May 1, 1991) | Pope John Paul II 

Rerum Novarum (May 15, 1891) | Pope Leo XIII 

Carroll, Anne W. Following Christ in the World. Seton Press, 1995 

McLoone, David. “21 Chicago police officers have pay suspended after refusing leftist mayor’s jab status mandate.” LifeSite, 21 Oct. 2021, https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/21-chicago-police-officers-have-pay-suspended-for-refusing-leftist-mayors-jab-status-mandate/