Over at Distinctly Catholic, Michael Sean Winters links to a funny bit at The Onion and then tosses a bit of off-color snark at MOJ, and a post of mine, regarding my view (expressed zillions of time here) that "it is not the case that the Church's social teachings -- including her teachings on the dignity of work and the rights of workers -- require, or even recommend, support for public-sector unionism (as it exists today, in today's legal and regulatory context)."
Contrary to what Winters says, I have never said that "the church's teaching that workers have a right to organize does not extend to public sector workers because the church never specifically said it so extends." What comes before and after "because" in Winters's sentence is wrong. I think that all workers have a right to "organize" (and, as it happens, the Church has long so taught). I do believe that it is a distortion of the Church's social teachings to think that those teachings "require, or even recommend, support for public-sector unionism (as it exists today, in today's legal and regulatory context)." And, I think this "because" not because public-sector unionism wasn't mentioned in Rerum Novarum, but because public-sector unionism (as it exists today, in today's legal and regulatory context) is, all things considered, contrary to the common good.
Winters ends his little jab with what I suppose is intended to be a funny comparison but it seemed more than a little inappropriate (not to mention inapt) to me. Readers should, of course, decide for themselves.
Thursday, September 6, 2018
Thanks to the merry band of happy religious-freedom warriors at the Becket Fund! Full story here. (I was honored to co-file an amicus brief with our own Tom Berg and others . . .).
Recent news and events have many religious-freedom defenders reeling and angry (understandably). But the "freedom of the Church" proposal has never rested on a premise or claim that the Church's leaders, ministers, and members do not sometimes do awful things.
Charlie Camosy has a nice interview up at Crux with our own Amy Uelmen, regarding (inter alia) celibacy (As MOJ readers probably know, Amy has taken vows in the Focolare movement), its practice, and its point. Amy's reflections are, as always, thoughtful and inspiring.
More information about this interesting event in Chicago (Oct. 4) is available here.
Monday, September 3, 2018
It never hurts -- and on Labor Day, it makes particular sense -- to re-read Laborem Exercens. Here it is.
Also, just your friendly, regular MOJ Labor Day reminder that, despite what some opportunistic commentators contend, it is not the case that the Church's social teachings -- including her teachings on the dignity of work and the rights of workers -- require, or even recommend, support for public-sector unionism (as it exists today, in today's legal and regulatory context).
