Posted: May 1st, 2025

chp 360 relationship between labor unions and the Roman Catholic Church, either in the present day or historically

Analyze the relationship between labor unions and the Roman Catholic Church, either in the present day or historically.
I chose this topic because, in the past, the connection between labor unions and the Roman Catholic Church has been intricate and has undergone changes throughout history. The Church has a deep-rooted tradition of tackling social justice matters, particularly concerning workers’ rights, and has significantly influenced the evolution of labor movements. Individual viewpoints within both the Church and labor movements may differ, contributing to a varied spectrum of interactions between these two entities.

1. Analyze the relationship between labor unions and the Roman Catholic Church,
either in the present day or historically.
I chose this topic because, in the past, the connection between labor unions and the
Roman Catholic Church has been intricate and has undergone changes throughout
history. The Church has a deep-rooted tradition of tackling social justice matters,
particularly concerning workers’ rights, and has significantly influenced the evolution of
labor movements. Individual viewpoints within both the Church and labor movements
may differ, contributing to a varied spectrum of interactions between these two entities.
Preliminary Outline
Analyzing the relationship between labor unions and the Roman Catholic Church, either in
the present day or historically
The Relationship Between Labor Unions and the Roman Catholic Church
I. Introduction
A. Brief background on the labor movement and the Catholic Church’s involvement
B. Thesis: The Catholic Church has had a complex relationship with labor unions,
shifting between support and opposition throughout history.
II. Early Support for Unions
A. Pope Leo XIII’s Rerum Novarum (1891) endorsed unions as vehicles for economic
justice.
B. The Church aided early union organizing among Catholic immigrants in the late
19th/early 20th centuries.
C. Examples of pro-union priests like Fr. Peter Dietz and Fr. Charles Owen Rice.
III. Shifting Attitudes in the Early 20th Century
A. Concerns grew about socialism and communism in some unions.
B. Some Church leaders worried about losing authority and anti-clericalism in unions.
C. Examples include anti-union efforts by Cardinal William O’Connell.
IV. The Church and Unions from the 1930s to the 1950s
A. The Church supported union growth in the New Deal era.
B. They worked together to fight fascism and economic inequality.
C. Rise of “labor priests” like Fr. Philip Berrigan who aided striking workers.
V. Opposition from the 1950s Onward
A. Church leaders spoke against “union monopolies” and excessive demands.
B. Opposed public sector unions’ right to strike and bargain collectively.
C. Cooperation diminished as the Church focused more on social than economic issues.
VI. The Church and Unions Today
A. Official doctrine still endorses unions, but tensions remain.
B. Some effort to find common ground around economic justice.
C. Examples include the Catholic Labor Network.
VII. Conclusion
A. Summary of how relations have shifted between support and opposition.
B. The future of relations depends on whether their goals align.
Introduction:
The relationship and history between the Catholic Church and Labor Unions is a lengthy and
detailed adventure that spans deep within our country’s history. The concept of a Labor Union
began in 1768 when the first recorded strike occurred after workers were not happy with their
decreased wages in Rochester, New York. This idea grew and by 1794, some American workers
had developed a trade union among themselves. By 1827, the Mechanics Union of Trade
Association in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This revision was significant because it was the firsttime labor groups began coming together within a given city and by 1852, national unions started
to come together from all over the country with unions of the same labor. As this idea grew and
grew, so did the Catholic Church’s support of these labor unions. The overall message and
opinion that the Catholic Church has on labor unions is as simple as a few of the teachings from
different people within the church. One is from Pope John Paul II which states that “Workers
have the right to form associations to defend their vital interests… The experience of history
teaches that organizations of this type are an indispensable element of social life, especially in
modern industrialized societies.” Another quote from the Vatican II in 1965 states their support
for labor unions based on the basic human rights a person should embody, stating that “Among
the basic rights of the human person must be counted the right of freely founding labor unions.
These unions should be able to represent the workers and to contribute to the proper arrangement
of economic life.” While it is now supported, the support for these Labor Unions was not always
this way. At first, the Church was skeptical of these unions because of the social norms at the
time. However, over time, the Church did what was right and natural. The Catholic Church has
had a complex relationship with Labor Unions, shifting between support and opposition
throughout history.
Early Support for Labor Unions by the Catholic Church (1891-Early 20th Century)
It is hard to picture the history of the Catholic Church and labor unions’ mutual
relationship as simple. Conversely, the early twentieth Century saw the Church actively
participating in the workers’ union struggle. The primary reason for the positive outlook is
attributed to the compound of the primary factors.
In 1891 Pope Leo XIII printed a famous encyclical of Rerum Novarum (On the Present
Situation of the Working Class). A new viewpoint emerged and shed light on the challenges
industrial workers as well as their families faced. He argued against unfair earnings, an unhealthy
work environment, and overtime. Notably, Rerum Novarum embraced the idea that workers had
the right to unionize to achieve equity and justice economically. The pope’s agreement with the
union gave a visible authority to the moral and theological principles of the growing labor
movement.
The Church has moved beyond mere utterances and has done so much. In the late 19th
and early 20th centuries, the Catholic Church assisted union organizing activities, focusing on
joining Catholic immigrants in the United States. A lot of immigrants had little knowledge of the
English language and were heavily exploited for labor. Priests of the Catholic faith commonly
played the roles of interpreters, organizers, and spokesmen for these workers.
Some Church leaders were feared for their explicit support of the union, like Father Peter
Dietz, a radical champion of the coal miners in Pennsylvania, and Father Charles Owen Rice,
well-known as a textile workers’ defender in Massachusetts. These are among many others who
contributed to the Church’s manifestation of social justice. These priests even preferred standing
in the picket lines and striking with the workers.
Nevertheless, in the development of the early XXI century, inside the Church appeared
the voices that drew attention to the role of socialist and communist ideas in some unions. A few
Church figures recognized such events as misleading and challenging the Church leadership
within the labor movement. For example, Cardinal O’Connell did not agree with the political
direction of the unions in which some of them were included, particularly the groupings
identified with radical actions.
However, the Church was not passive about its position on the labor unions, even in the
face of these reservations. The Church’s backing of the labor unions grew significantly,
especially throughout the New Deal period of the 1930s and 1940s. The Church’s faith-based
movement and the unions’ dedicated efforts gained significant strength in the fight against
fascism and economic inequalities. In line with other labor priests, like Fr. Philip Berrigan, such
activists were integral to this period’s cause. They aided the striking workers and championed
their rights within the Catholic community.
From the fifties, strain in the relationship between the Church and the labor unions
caused many problems. Like churches, trade unions were condemned for the monopolistic
practices and high demands of the employers. Moreover, strikes and collective bargaining
represent one of the aspects in which the Church could not support the rights of public sector
unions. It was an aspect in the broader shift that occurrence did away with direct labor activism
support.
Ultimately, poor working conditions and the exploitation of laborers were the main areas
that led the Church to support the labor unions. The brutal realities of industrialization set up
immense difficulties; therefore, the trade unions were essential to the Church for workers to be
protected from exploitation and to promote a more equal society. Nonetheless, the feeling of
union with God in the likes of Mother Teresa would not last because the Church saw socialism
and communism spreading within some unions. Therefore, by the early 20th Century, the opinion
of the Church in this regard had drastically changed.
References
Curran, C. E. (2002). Catholic social teaching, 1891-present: A historical, theological, and
ethical analysis. Georgetown University Press.
Lubienecki, Paul. “Social Encyclicals and the Worker: The Evolution of Catholic Labor Schools
in Pennsylvania.” Journal of Catholic Education 24.1 (2021): 107-124.
http://dx.doi.org/10.15365/joce.2401062021
Meiréis, Manuel Augusto Alves, and Marisa de Almeida Araújo. “Understanding dignity (of
workers) across the catholic thought.” (2019).
http://repositorio.ulusiada.pt/bitstream/11067/5504/1/minerva_v9_n2_3.pdf