A Priest Speaks Out

In a recent article in The Providence Visitor, Dominican Father Joseph L. Lennon called union strength "the most effective weapon for uplifting workers and giving them ... hope and confidence in the future of their children."

"When wage stagnation holds down the living standards of millions of Americans; when sweatshop conditions prevail and hazards to health and safety abound, the worker not only has a right to join a union, but he has the duty to do so, and has a moral obligation to participate actively in the affairs of the union," Lennon, who chairs the Scholarship Committee of the Laborers' International Union of North America, wrote.

Lennon began by comparing the widening income gap in the United States: "The number of families (presently 13 to 15 percent) failing to rise above the so-called poverty line is growing," he said.

"Bill Gates' net wealth (exceeding $51 billion) is greater than the combined net worth of the poorest 40 percent of Americans (106 million people). Indeed, the wealth of the top 1 percent is greater than that of the bottom 90 percent of Americans.

Pointing to the fact that the number of billionaires and millionaires is increasing 10 times faster than the growth of the population, Lennon added, "At the present moment, the United States wins the distinction of having the sharpest wealth disparity of any Western nation.

Lennon reminded his readers that Pope John Paul often "inveighs against the evils of an unbridled capitalism."

"How can the poor rise above the poverty level and enjoy the benefits and amenities of middle-class America?" he asked, answering simply: "One way: Join a union."

Lennon continued by reminding his readers that "the only hope of the world is for workers here and everywhere to unite. We were not intended by the Creator to live in a dog-eat-dog world."

Thus, he echoed the words of Msgr. George Higgins, uttered some 35 years ago: "Americans in all walks of life should be willing to take the unconditional and unqualified position that secure and stable unions are indispensable prerequisites of a sound social order."

- Fred Gaboury