Inspired unions?
Pope Benedict met with Italian trade union officials today and recalled for them the original intent of their organization.
The Holy Father began by recalling how sixty years ago the CISL “took its first steps, playing an active role in establishing the free international trade-union organisation to which it brought its own contribution of a firm grounding in the principles of the Church’s social doctrine and of autonomous trade-union activity free from political and party leanings”.
Free from political and party leanings? How nice it would be if US unions could honestly get there.
Today, he told his audience, “you continue to draw inspiration for your activities from the social Magisterium of the Church, with the aim of protecting the interests of workers and pensioners in Italy”.
Benedict XVI then went on to refer to the Church’s “concern for social problems, which have increased over the last century”. In this context he mentioned Leo XIII’s Encyclical “Rerum novarum”, which “strongly defended the inalienable dignity of workers. The guidelines contained in that document”, he said, “helped to reinforce Christian influence on social life”.
He told Americans to reinforce their Christian influence on social life last April in his apostolic visit. How are we doing on that right now?
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Unions did “honestly get there.” When Reagan ran against Carter, the majority of union rank and file voted for Reagan. The Teamsters endorsed Reagan. But they learned when you dance with the elephant you better watch your feet. Reagan tried to stop the minimum wage increase, fired union workers, and had an National Labor Relations Board which was interested in neither labor nor relations. The donkey may not be labor’s best friend but like life it beats the alternative! I believe that as we move away from a credit based to a saving’s based society and as people need more money to save, there will be more emphasis placed on higher wages. No longer being able to live on credit, some will find labor an alternative when wages are truly disparate.
But I believe the words of the Holy Father could also as easily have been said to the pro-life movement. It seems to me that the pro-life movement must become less attached to one political party or another and understand that the real work is in the “rank and file” of the electorate. As long as most people believe that life begins at the first breath and ends at the last, no matter how much the movement warms up to the Republican party, the Republicans will never be able to deliver the legislation desired for change.
Oh, yes, they will say the right words but will stop short of legislative action because there is no support among the rank and file of the nation. CBS News’ Sunday Morning program commissioned a poll comparing responses on certain questions from today versus 30 years ago. Astonishingly, views on abortion hardly changed. 54% of Americans still believe that abortion should be legal in certain circumstances. That’s American speak for “when I feel it’s right for me or my family.” 30 years ago 22% of all Americans believed that abortion was right in every situation. Today that is up to 28%, above the 3% margin of error. What got the pro-life movement where it is today is no longer enough to keep it there. The movement sought politics to change laws while they missed the opportunity to seek out the electorate to change hearts. The Republican party ties have given the movement feel good leadership, but with no real results, while al the while making itself seem radical to the average American. As with the labor movement, the strides in the 21st Century for the pro-life movement must be among the rank and file before any meaningful change can occur in Congress.