Papal pronouncements on labor unions and workplace democracy

Abstract

The author traces over a century of Catholic social teaching from Leo XIII to John Paul II, emphasizing in particular workplace democracy and labor unions. Until John Paul II, Gruenberg argues, the Church’s teaching on labor organizations was deliberately ambiguous. Leo XIII had the greatest problem because of the extreme diversity among union movements throughout the industrialized world and the drive of Marxism to take the lead in solving workers’ problems. Pius XI saw the Great Depression as a sign that Marx might be right, and did his best to offer an alternative in the form of worker cooperatives and union‐management co‐determination. However, John Paul II stated unequivocally that labor unions are “indispensable” for workplace justice, and collective bargaining is just another name for workplace democracy. Unions are seen by John Paul II as the democratic institutions that form a bulwark against the abuse of workers at the hands of either the employer or the state. A detailed reading list is attached.

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