Labor Day Statement 2007: A Time to Remember, A Time to Recommit

The Labor Day Statement for 2007, "A Time to Remember, A Time to Recommit" by Bishop Nicholas DeMarzio of Brooklyn and Chairman of the Domestic Policy Committee of the USCCB has just been released.

In his reflections, Bishop DiMarzio reminds us that the moral dimensions of work and workers' rights are at the center of our tradition and that many people in our midst lack decent work or fair wages, toil in terrible conditions and have no real voice in economic life.

In his "look back," he revisits the national debate over immigration reform which he says was at its core about workers who try to come to our land to secure better lives for themselves and their families by their labor. His analysis provides an excellent summary of the recent failure in Congress to enact immigration reform legislation.

In conclusion, he says, "Labor Day 2007...is a time to recall the powerful and consistent teaching of our Church on the dignity of work and the rights of workers...For Catholics, Labor Day 2007 is a time to recommit in our own small ways - to our own work, to treat others justly, and to defend the lives, dignity, and rights of workers, especially the most vulnerable. This is a requirement of our faith and a way to advance the promise of our nation."

Click here for a copy of the full statement.