Washington D.C., Aug 25, 2011 / 23:27 pm
Work has dignity because it participates in God’s creation and builds up the common good, the U.S. bishops said in their annual Labor Day statement. They called for shared sacrifices to heal the country while recognizing the rights of workers and the stark facts of unemployment, poverty and insecurity.
“An economy that cannot provide employment, decent wages and benefits, and a sense of participation and ownership for its workers is broken in fundamental ways,” said Bishop Stephen E. Blaire of Stockton, California in the Sept. 5 letter.
The chair of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development emphasized the suffering of those in difficult situations.
“This Labor Day we need to look beyond the economic indicators, stock market gyrations, and political conflicts and focus on the often invisible burdens of ordinary workers and their families, many of whom are hurting, discouraged, and left behind by this economy.”