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Low-wage service
employers like Wal-Mart bring new challenges: UFCW vice president calls on churches to step forward and fight for workplace justice Mike Leonard, executive vice president of UNI Commerce affiliate UFCW, is calling on the world of religion to stand up for workplace justice. Leonard spoke at Pulpit 2002, a joint program of the labor movement and the National Interfaith Committee for Worker Justice. The aim the programme is to bring Labor Day weekend discussions of worker concerns into churches, synagogues and mosques In his speech, Mike Leonard cited a century of Catholic social teaching on the right of workers to living wages, fair treatment, and representation called for action to counteract the impact of the growing number of low wage/no benefit employers. Traditional sources of high wage jobs such as steel, auto and other manufacturing industries continue to shrink while low wage service sector employers, such as Wal-Mart, have become primary sources of employment. These emerging jobs and employers, in stark contrast to the tenets of Church teaching, generally do not provide wages or benefits that can support families and do not recognize the right of association for workers. Bringing the hope and the force of Church social teaching to 21st workers and workplaces can create a new generation of jobs to provide dignity and economic security for working families. - The social teachings of the Church, as proclaimed by Pope Leo XIII in 1891 to Pope John Paul II in 1991, call us to the witness of action---to stand up, step forward and create workplace justice. - The jobs and employers of the 21st century often pay only poverty-level wages, provide few benefits and offer no security for the family or the future. To meet the challenge of the 21stcentury, we must affirm our commitment to Church's social teachings and put our faith into action," said Mike Leonard. Full text of Mike Leonard's speech
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