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The Value of the Worker
Mining is a particularly hazardous work, but the plight of those who were trapped in the mine in Utah reminds us once again of the danger and suffering willingly undergone by those, the many, who undergo risks that we may maintain our way of life.
Pope John Paul II wrote the first of his social encyclicals, “On the Dignity of Work.” In it, he marks the 90th anniversary of “Rerum Novarum,” the first papal encyclical on the social question. John Paul affirmed the dignity of the worker insisting that work is a fundamental dimension of man’s existence on Earth.
He draws from the Book of Genesis in which God commanded man to go into the world to subdue it. So it is in imitation of God that man works to manage his existence on the Earth.
John Paul introduces a distinction between “subjective” and “objective” work, the person who works and the product of his work. This establishes that work has both an intrinsic value and a “spiritual value.”
He condemned any system or attitude which reduces work to a certain kind of merchandise. He condemns an “economism” which considers work solely along the lines of its economic purpose. The result is a rank materialism.
Pope John Paul argued for the rights of workers to organize, for just compensation which provides time for adequate wages, benefits which include sick benefits, retirement and other provisions for a truly human life. Some jobs have their inherent danger, such as mining, and others have a danger of another kind, such as those working on the manufactured heating systems which recently exploded in Manhattan. Along with work must come adequate compensation and recognition.
The fact of the matter is that in work and manufacturing labor always should take preference over capital. The worker is of more value than the product. The right to private property always should be at the service of people. The worker should take part in the productive process as a sharer in responsibility and creativity. The priority of labor over capital is a postulate in social morality and can be recognized only by a system that recognized the subjective over the objective dimension of work.
When we come to workers’ rights, we must distinguish between the direct and indirect employer. The direct employer is the person with whom the worker enters into negotiations. The indirect employer is of great importance in the present world of international corporations, sprawling government industries, and multi-national trade agreements. These are factors which seem remote, but in fact reach down into the gaping hole in the street or the life destroying coal mine.
The papal encyclical was praised for its scope and wide applications; it was written by a man who worked in the mines, the shipyards and industries of his society, who knew the pressures on the working person and the hard won salaries and benefits of the unions. It was his personalism that turned things around and broke the bonds of Communism.
It is only when we are struck by local disasters that we realize the dimensions of the problems that are built into our economic system where the worker is anything but a priority.
As Labor Day approaches, it is good for us to remind ourselves of the Church’s teaching on labor.
And we join our prayers with the prayers of Bishop John C. Wester and the Diocese of Salt Lake City, where the mine collapse occurred as we hope for the safe return of these hard workers and the strength to accept the will of God whatever it brings.
Tornado Was a Reminder
Now that we have survived the great tornado of 2007, we are grateful that the damages have been as limited as they were. While we join with the community to assist those who suffered losses, we can also be grateful that there was no loss of human life in Brooklyn and Queens.
Commendations must go to the City’s servants — the police, firefighters, Sanitation and Parks Dept., workers — who responded so quickly and ably to the situations, particularly in Bay Ridge, Sunset Park, and Flatbush.
Mayor Bloomberg and other local officials were right on the scene, offering help to those in need. So too were social workers from Catholic Charities (see Put Out Into the Deep, Page 4) and other social service agencies.
Weather disasters have the power to remind us that we are not fully in control of our own destinies. No one could have predicted a tornado touching down in Brooklyn. It was a pure act of nature, beyond the ability of human prevention.
We are reminded of the Gospel reading that reminds us that we know not the time or the hour when God calls upon us for a response. Whether we are reacting to the elements of the seasons or to the human condition, we can hardly predict when we will be asked to respond to God’s grace.
We and our neighbors came through this meteorological surprise and we have survived. There is no telling when we will be asked to be present to an even greater calamity.
We are reminded to remain vigilant. The tornado of 2007 was a reminder that, as much as we try, we are not masters of the universe. We place our trust and hope in the hands of the Almighty and we pray that the Creator will continue to have mercy on us.
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