The 1976 U.S. Catholic Bishops' Call To Action Conference in Detroit

A.D. 1977
Detroit Recommendations
Work

 

I Recommendation: Equal Opportunity

In order to assist the U.S. Catholic Church to translate its commitment to full participation in economic life and equal employment opportunity for all people regardless of race, sex, sexual orientation, age, national origin or physical handicap into concrete programs for action in both church and society, we recommend:

1. That the U.S. Catholic Conference, through its Department of Social Development, call upon all Catholic ordinaries to establish in their dioceses a plan for equal opportunity. This plan will initiate, insure, and Support legislation, educate, engage in reform practices and provide legal counsel in the public and private sector to bring about equal employment opportunities and opportunities for economic development which insure justice on the part of employers, unions and other organizations to minorities, women, the handicapped, the aged and young people in the area of employment and promotion.

Since ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution would be a major step toward achieving equal economic justice for men and women we endorse and support it. The church should commit significant economic resources and personnel, especially in social action agencies and offices, to achieve speedy ratification of ERA. Special efforts should be made in those states which have not ratified the amendment.

The bishops of the United States shall work toward promotion of full employment for all people.

2. That, an equal employment opportunity program be implemented immediately by the USCC.

That said program be part of every diocesan institutional agency, board and committee. The affirmative action program is to follow the affirmative and equal employment guidelines as set down by the U.S. Equal Employment Commission as it applies in each diocese.

That the American Catholic Church, at its headquarters, colleges, universities and in each diocese immediately launch a continual survey of its employees in its chancery, schools, hospitals, parishes and its other institutions to determine the number of its employees who are blacks, Hispanic, American Indians, Asians, and all other minorities including European immigrants as well as whites in the diocese's total work force, and the number of men and women.

These surveys shall include the job levels held so that the church can determine how it can attain equal employment throughout its professional supervisory ranks as well. Each diocese should establish an affirmative action commission with appropriate minority representation which shall implement this action and which shall publish an annual report.

From this assembled information, each diocese will develop affirmative action goals and timetables to correct these imbalances.

The USCC shall seek regular responses from each diocese and shall monitor these reports through whatever channels necessary.

Intensive educational programs shall be initiated to facilitate attitudinal changes in every diocese to insure effective implementation of the affirmative action plan through the provision of quality and better education that will prepare the people for better job opportunities.

3. That a pastoral letter be sent to Catholic institutions, groups and individuals affirming the responsibility of Catholics to promote equal opportunity and affirmative action to insure justice to all groups in American society.

This letter should include measureable and very detailed objectives to be accomplished by each parish within the diocese. An annual report on progress would be demanded by the bishop.

Pastors and parish councils should make themselves aware of the rights of individuals for equal opportunity and should encourage the total Catholic community to combat the judicial and appeals procedures which decelerate equal opportunities for all people.

4. That the bishops direct every Catholic institution which has financial investments in multinational corporations to use their power as shareholders to assure economic and social justice for all concerned, especially in Latin American and other, Third World: countries., We strongly recommend as a means, of implementation the use of the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility.

Il Recommendation: Economic Justice

1. To make the goals of full employment and income security set forth by our bishops a reality inin our national life, and to promote a fuller awareness in the Catholic community of the content and implication of church teaching on economic justice, we call for the establishment in the Catholic community within a year, of a commission on economic justice, with voluntary representation from each diocese and from national organizations dealing with business, economic, labor and social issues.

The commission should evaluate economic problems within the context of international conditions as well as domestic conditions, and should operate within a framework of existing Catholic social teaching.

The goal of the commission would be to elaborate the broad concerns for economic justice as expressed by the 1975 bishops' statement: "The Economy: Human Dimensions," specifically: full employment, job training and development, income security, tax reform, the problem of overemployment, national standards for workmen's compensation and unemployment insurance. In addition, the fuller utilization of the unemployed and underemployed through public service employment and socially useful jobs in the public sector is an essential ingredient of a full employment policy.

It is critical that this commission also look to the recommendation on equal opportunity, responsibility in the world of work and apostolate and working life, specifically the joint operation of full employment and equal opportunity.

The commission should take as a special task the study and evaluation of the economic system, with due attention to the effect that racism has on the distribution of goods and services.

The commission should translate its proposals into specific programs for reform at the national level and work for legislation in coalition with other groups in our society.

The commission should be adequately staffed, should consult with groups with special economic needs and expertise, and should solicit the support of scholars and or appropriate departments in universities. It should encourage local church convocation of economic justice forums to include stockholders, management, labor, public interest and consumer groups, youth, and those involved in human services.

2. In support of this effort committees with grass-roots representatives should be established on the diocesan level, in religious orders, and in various Catholic organizations and parishes. These committees should engage in continued consultation on these concerns, adapt policies to the local setting, engage in practical education and action on the issues, and where appropriate cooperate with other church and civic groups in legislation and political action.

3. We recommend to the NCCB that it mandate the preaching and teaching of Catholic social doctrine at all levels of the church, taking the necessary steps to educate preachers and catechists.

We recommend that the commission be charged to actively support the repeal of "right to work" laws as they now exist in 20 of these United States.

4. Since women, in particular minority women, have been special victims of employment and income discrimination in the United States, and since legal guarantees are historically important means for eliminating discriminatory practices, we urge the country to enact a policy which would insure full legal equality for men and women in the United States and in every state of the Union. For this reason we endorse the Equal Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

III Recommendation: Responsibility in the World of Work

To reaffirm and promote more effectively the rich Catholic teachings on labor-management relations, and to assist workers who are most lacking in the support provided by collective bargaining and union membership, we recommend:

1. That the social doctrine of Popes John XXIII, Paul VI, Vatican II, the United States bishops and the social teachings of the church, in their historical developments since 1891 be taught, respected and implemented in parishes, seminaries and other Catholic institutions. Furthermore, that this teaching should clearly state the responsibility of governments, corporations and of all workers, executives and professionals to ensure human rights and safety, both personal and environmental, prior to consideration of career and profit.

2. That Catholics encourage and assist unemployed and unorganized workers, regardless of immigrant status, to join or form unions to represent their common interests and support legislation which encourages such organization. Church-related social service and social action agencies should allocate a percentage of their personnel and resources necessary to assist in the organizational work as wanted and needed by unorganized workers and thereby direct their efforts especially to workers presently employed at poverty wages and unfairly impeded in their efforts to organize. We also urge Catholics in labor, management and government to support these organizing efforts.

That the church commit itself with monies and human resources to aid the struggle of nonunion workers to organize in the South, especially in the textile industry.

We urge that Catholics be informed of the injustices which result from the provisions of paragraph 14-B of the National Labor Relations Act, which allows states under the guise of "right to work" laws to make it more difficult for unions to improve wages and working conditions for employees.

Also that we pledge to continue our cooperation with church leadership in resolving with justice the conflicts in the agricultural fields by the development of labor organization among farm workers throughout the country. Specifically, that farmworkers should have legislation which would create the legal Process that guarantees self-determination through collective bargaining rights, such as Proposition 14 in California and the proposed Texas Agricultural Relations Bill and the proposed Florida Labor Relations Act. That adequate publicity and support be given throughout the church structure and the national media to these pieces of legislation and the mentioned regional unionizing efforts.

3. That in order to increase the credibility and integrity of its efforts in this area, the Catholic community recognize and support the rights of its employees, Including documented and undocumented in the church or church-related institutions to form and/or join unions and other appropriate organizations of their own choosing to represent their collective interests and concerns. In further justice the Catholic community affirms and wishes also to protect the Christian rights of business and business owners.

4. That in view of the large size, power and complexity of the institutions and professions which constitute contemporary economic systems, the church should encourage efforts at labormanagement cooperation including research and prudent experimentation on profit sharing, ownership of capital by employees, and participative management in business and industry, especially those in which the church has an economic interest. The church should also encourage the formation of low-income, community-controlled economic development enterprises, such as co-ops and credit unions, and provide such organizations with substantive financial and/or technical assistance in order to hell) assure their success. Finally, that the church should encourage and support a joint effort toward labor and management education to foster greater mutual understanding.

5. That, since the tragic state of agricultural workers and migrants is recognized as a national problem, the sympathy and constructive strengths of the church be marshalled to help reform working conditions and assist farmworkers to hell) themselves by the formation of cooperatives, credit unions, health centers, etc.

In particular, we commend the support which the church has given to the organizing efforts of the United Farmworkers of America, AFL-CIO, and pledge our support and cooperation to other grassroots regional efforts such as the Farm Labor Organizing Committee in the Midwest and the Texas Farmworkers Union in South Texas.

6. That the church support:
a) Amnesty for undocumented immigrants whose departure from the United States would impose upon them or their families any hardship, and
b) The passage and implementation of a statute of limitation to the Immigration and Naturalization Act (INA) provisions which presently allow for deportation of undocumented immigrants so that those who have developed standing and work in the community may no longer be perpetually vulnerable to deportation.

7. That the church continue to Support an end to the abuse of human and civil rights of the undocumented immigrants and Third World communities in the United States through Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) enforcement tactics. That the church opposes Unrestrained INS and state enforcement tactics that violate human mid civil rights of citizens, permanent rcsidents anti undocumented immigrants. Thai the church should provide undocumented persons through its offices of Catholic Charities, with educational and legal services and should defend their civil rights against illegal arrests, unlawful house entry, forceful separation of families, loss of wages.

8. That the church:
a) Publicly support its teaching that a worker has the right to seek employment anywhere in the world;
b) Expose U.S. multinational economic interests in Latin America, especially Mexico, which cause or force emigration of "economic refugees" into this country;
c) Encourage workers from the United States, Mexico and other Latin American countries to coordinate their organizing efforts;
d) That the U.S. bishops seek to remove those INS policies which are concerned with undocumented workers, from the Department of Justice to the Department of Labor.

9. That the enactment of H.R. 14535 be seen as an insensitive and discriminatory act against I Hispanics in this country, and that the intent and thrust of this act be challenged.

10. That because the unemployment rate for Vietnam era veterans is almost twice as high as the national average, the church encourage the private and public business sectors to adopt an affirmative action policy on the hiring of Vietnam era veterans.

11. That a commission be established in each diocese to monitor the implementation of these programs. These commissions shall publish an annual report.

IV Recommendation: Apostolate

To assist Catholics in their continuing obligation to incorporate Christian values into their working life, to help the hierarchy of the church take account of the experience of work in formulating pastoral and social policy, and to encourage all people to find greater meaning and purpose in their working lives, we recommend:

1. The bishops and all people in pastoral work are accountable to minister to people in their world of work. Those involved in ministry should have adequate training in Catholic social teaching, economics, social science and spirituality. They should encourage formation of small groups of people who share a work experience and who meet regularly for prayer, reflection and constructive action.

We encourage dioceses to officially recognize specialized ministries, such as pastoral centers, to assist and support working people in unions, professional groups, farmers' associations, business organizations, domestic workers, and men and women who work in raising families: a) to organize; and, b) to deal with all the other issues of work.

2. That Catholic educational programs at appropriate levels incorporate vocational and career counselling and identify new career choices with a view toward developing a better understanding of the world of work as it exists and also with a view toward helping both workers and management develop new modes of work which might better enhance job satisfaction and human dignity in the work situation.

3. That Catholic scholars, especially theologians and social scientists, commissioned by the USCC, utilizing the resources of Catholic tradition, contemporary research and the experience of working people, develop a theology of work and leisure, critique and evaluate economic life, and identify alternatives to our present system of economic organization. They should evaluate the impact of concentrated ownership of resources and wealth and the proliferation of bureaucratic structures on Christian values and on the personal lives of those who work in such settings.

4. In order to become more aware of the political and economic dimension of our moral and political concerns, the USCC should stimulate, either through new or existing organizations, dialogue with groups such as labor unions, professional societies, business organizations, cooperative movements and citizens' groups to translate the implications ions of justice into practical norms of action. This dialogue should provide information resources and support for pastors and church leaders at the local levels.

 

Reprinted with permission of the Quixote Center.