Poverty and the Right to Work
As I observed in my column
June 1, it seems a shame that so many American workers have
to fight for the right not to join a union. It's a bit reminiscent
of John Kennedy speaking at the Berlin Wall: 'There are
those who say our form of government is not perfect, but
we never had to put up a wall to keep our people in.'
There is a serious danger in
'yellow dogism' -- remaining loyal to a political party
or movement despite that organization's abandonment of the
principles that first inspired fierce loyalty. Betrayal
and deceit are strong reasons for dropping such loyalty.
For Catholics, labor unions
have forfeited their traditional presumption of legitimacy
because union power methodically supports politicians who
advocate abortion on demand and other practices inimical
to Church teaching. I covered this issue in some depth in
my last column.
A strong case can be made to
let workers keep their own money to spend for purposes they
support, rather than to leave in place the present system
that finances objectionable social policies through forced
dues extracted from workers.
There are other reasons to
consider changes in state and national labor laws. The Catholic
Church maintains 'a preferential option for the poor.' A
right-to-work law would go a long way toward alleviating
the poverty that has plagued Oklahoma's reputation since
the Dust Bowl days. Right to work would boost our economy,
as it has boosted the economy in surrounding right-to-work
states.
Oklahoma has a persistently
low state ranking in poverty- related issues such as crime,
illiteracy, substance abuse, divorce and out of wedlock
pregnancy. Hardly a day goes by when a domestic tragedy
is not reported in the local news involving poverty-related
abuse -- or worse -- of a child or woman by a spouse or
live-in boyfriend related to poverty and the resultant frustration
and rage.
With a right-to-work law, the
influx of businesses who would be eager to relocate in Oklahoma
for the quality of life offered here would contribute greatly
to an influx of workers in the professions, and a widening
of white collar as well as blue-collar opportunities which
would raise the standard of living and the overall economic
situation. These are matters which naturally occur in a
business friendly environment, which right to work would
help to create.
As anyone familiar with the
modern work environment can attest, 'business friendly'
does not automatically mean 'anti- labor' -- and the presence
of labor unions is no guarantee of stress-free working environments.
In fact, modern unions in actual performance, as opposed
to theory, often feed tensions in the workplace.
Jesus said, 'The poor you will
always have with you.' The poor are part of us and the goal
of charity in the temporal realm is to try to help the poor
out of poverty wherever possible, not to maintain them in
it. The economic benefits of right to work for Oklahoma
would go a long way in furthering this mission in an organic
and not artificial way.
Catholics, and all Christians,
should feel comfortable in exercising their prudential options
as citizens and voters, when they consider supporting the
right-to-work referendum Sept. 25.
John Mallon is contributing
editor for Inside the Vatican magazine and a member of The
Daily Oklahoman's Opinion Board of Contributors. This article
originally appeared in The Daily Oklahoman on June 9, 2001
and is reprinted with permission. Send
an e-mail to John Mallon
