A Theological Ethic for Renewing Church-Labor Alliance

ABSTRACTThe contemporary American labor movement is in a state of crisis. Not only is the membership base at a low-point, but a host of negative factors and obstacles to growth present enormous challenges for its future viability. In the past, organized labor has been most effective when there was a strong alliance with the Catholic community. Since the middle of the twentieth century, however, this association has weakened, and in some cases has turned to opposition. The premise of this article is that a renewed church-labor alliance could provide needed assistance to reinvigorate the labor movement while also advancing the social concerns of the Catholic Church in this nation.

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Organized Labor and the Invention of Modern Liberalism in the United States

Studies in American Political Development ◽

10.1017/s0898588x00001802 ◽

1987 ◽

Vol 2 ◽

pp. 317-336 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Karen Orren

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Labor Movement ◽

The United States ◽

Organized Labor ◽

Historical Study ◽

Labor Politics ◽

American Strain ◽

Comparative Treatment ◽

American Labor Movement ◽

American Labor

There is perhaps no political topic that has been given such relentlessly comparative treatment as the American labor movement. It is rare to read any comprehensive political or historical study of organized labor that is not cast, implicitly or explicitly, against the greater class consciousness of European counterparts. The explanations advanced for the uniqueness or the lack of vigor in the American strain—abundance of land, immigration, early suffrage, a revolutionary heritage of “republicanism”—constitute most of what exists in the way of theories about American labor politics.

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The Spirit of Private Government

American Political Science Review ◽

10.2307/1951903 ◽

1958 ◽

Vol 52 (3) ◽

pp. 754-770 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Grant McConnell

Keyword(s):

Labor Movement ◽

Financial Management ◽

Basic Problem ◽

Organized Labor ◽

The Public ◽

Internal Politics ◽

Legislative Proposals ◽

Private Government ◽

American Labor Movement ◽

American Labor

The affairs of the Teamsters Union have suddenly loomed with an importance seldom recognized in any private association of this highly associated country. No doubt a major source of the recent interest in the internal politics of this and other unions is the fascination exerted by intimations of colorful criminality. Senator McClellan's committee, indeed, has gone far to indulge the widespread taste for this variety of sensation. Some segments of public opinion have obviously been gratified to be given ammunition useful in a campaign to weaken the economic and political power of organized labor. Meanwhile, the prospect for a few elementary reforms has suddenly improved. The American labor movement has acted to cleanse itself of some of the stain which has drawn so much attention. Legislative proposals designed to insure integrity of union elections and financial management are actively agitated.Nevertheless, publicity and agitation have so far done little to illuminate the basic problem. The public hue and cry about gangsters quite possibly may have hindered rather than helped understanding of what is involved.

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ORGANIZED LABOR AND AMERICAN LAW: FROM FREEDOM OF ASSOCIATION TO COMPULSORY UNIONISM

Social Philosophy and Policy ◽

10.1017/s0265052508080175 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 25 (2) ◽

pp. 22-52

Author(s):

Paul Moreno

Keyword(s):

Private Sector ◽

Labor Movement ◽

Labor Law ◽

Essential Element ◽

Organized Labor ◽

Union Power ◽

Freedom Of Association ◽

American Law ◽

American Labor Movement ◽

American Labor

Though most legal and labor historians have depicted an American labor movement that suffered from legal disabilities, American law has never denied organized labor's freedom of association. Quite the contrary, unions have always enjoyed at least some favoritism in the law, and this status provided the essential element to their success and power. But, even during the heyday of union power (1930–47), organized labor never succeeded in gaining all of the privileges that it sought, not enough to stem its current (private-sector) decline back to historically normal levels. This article provides a synoptic overview and reinterpretation of the development of American labor law.

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The Social Responsibility Of Labor

International Business & Economics Research Journal (IBER) ◽

10.19030/iber.v9i12.351 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 9 (12) ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Norman Carroll ◽

Molly Burke

Keyword(s):

Social Responsibility ◽

Labor Movement ◽

Social Costs ◽

The Social ◽

External Impact ◽

Corporate Social ◽

Production Labor ◽

American Labor Movement ◽

American Labor ◽

Modern Perspective

In the ongoing discussion about corporate social responsibility, little attention has been paid to the social responsibility of the other factor of production - labor. The modern perspective is that major economic players have an external impact on society that generates social costs that are paid by the community. The emerging view is that, for the sustainability of the community, these players must contribute in a positive way by covering these social costs and participating in the life of the community. This paper examines the extent to which unionized labor, as a major economic player, is assuming positions of social responsibility in the national and local communities. It suggests that by developing a boarder social vision, the American labor movement could revitalize itself.

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