Venice, Fla., Sep 3, 2018 / 03:06 am
The provision of just wages for all workers is a critical component of a moral economy, said the head of the U.S. bishops' Domestic Justice and Human Development committee in his Labor Day message.
"Today, there are many families who, even if they have technically escaped poverty, nevertheless face significant difficulties in meeting basic needs," said Bishop Frank J. Dewane of Venice. "Wages for lower income workers are, by various accounts, insufficient to support a family and provide a secure future."
In his 2018 Labor Day statement, the bishop emphasized that all Christians share the responsibility of building a human-centered economy.
"The economy must serve people, not the other way around," he said. "Work is more than a way to make a living; it is a form of participating in God's creation. If the dignity of work is to be protected, then the basic rights of workers must be respected, including the right to productive work, to decent and fair wages, to organizing and joining unions, to private property, and to economic initiative."