The Dignity of Work and the Place of Labor Unions

All work must prioritize the dignity of the worker as a subjective moral agent and not as a mere instrument—as though he were nothing more than a component or machine. This is what Pope St. John Paul II calls the “priority of labor over capital” in his 1981 encyclical Laborem Exercens (no. 12). Failure to prioritize the worker dehumanizes him, stripping work of its contribution to the well-being of the worker. We do not consider simply the “utility” of the worker in the process of production but rather the whole range of elements that constitute his dignity, as a subjective moral agent, ordered toward rest in God.

When the employer and employee are not able to reach agreement on the protection of the worker’s subjective agency, it may be necessary for the employees to pool their resources in solidarity with one another in the form of a labor union. In Rerum Novarum (no. 49), Pope Leo XIII refers to labor unions as “the most important” of cooperative societies of workers. When properly constituted and managed, labor unions give workers legitimate leverage to negotiate for better working conditions, higher wages, or a place at the decision-making table. They may also provide safeguards against layoffs or safety nets in the event of economic downturns or workplace calamities or accidents.

Of course, as illustrated in the films On the Waterfront and The Irishman, unions are as susceptible to corruption as any other human institution. Unions fail their members when they advocate for political candidates or social policies that are not directly in service of their mission to serve all their constituent members. The need to regulate and reform unions when this occurs is no different from any other human institution that strays from or fails in its proper mission.

Important as unions are—and as wholly legitimate as they are when needed—the presence of strong unions might be seen as a failure of employee and employer to reach a mutually agreeable consensus on the enterprise. I want to be careful and clear in this discussion so that I am not misunderstood. Labor unions are valued and honored institutions, enjoying the favor and support of the Church through its social doctrine. Unions are a legitimate expression of the solidarity of workers as they join in a united enterprise to protect themselves against both hostile employers and economic turbulence. Unions have had a positive social impact on workers and their families for generations. Perquisites and benefits that we take for granted in the workplace—such as health insurance, paid vacations, safety regulations, and overtime pay—exist because of the presence of unions in American economic life. As Pope St. John Paul II put it in Laborem Exercens (no. 20), the presence of labor unions “remains a constructive factor of social order and solidarity.”

Having said that, however, the good of labor unions for workers might be analogized to the good of medicine for the body. Medicine is a good thing. It should be seen as part of the “normal endeavor” to treat illness. Where a person has chronic health issues, the ongoing use of medicine contributes both to the good of the individual patient and society more generally. But medicine is only required when the body is not functioning as it is supposed to. The better situation is a healthy body, in which the parts are all working properly and in harmony with one another in a common endeavor. In this case, medicine is not indicated. We do not disparage medicine when it is needed, but we recognize the “better” state of affairs when it is not needed. Labor unions can be seen in a similar way. Where the workplace is one of harmony and cooperation, in which employers and employees engage in a common enterprise, rowing in the same direction and in the same rhythm, the need for labor unions is lessened, if not, in some cases, eliminated.

The better path is for labor and capital to work in harmony with one another, working toward common goals and always with the moral development of the worker in mind. Unions may be indispensable for the common good of the enterprise. But where the common good is achieved without unions, such as where health is maintained without medicine, this is the better path.

These kinds of employee/employer relations meet the needs of both employer and employee outside the rigid regulations of formal unions and are a better indication of the health of the business. Thus, they contribute to the social principle of subsidiarity. Laborers, managers, and owners help one another at the most local and immediate place available, without having to enlist regulatory or legal structures to keep everyone in line. Smart business managers, even those with no training in Catholic social teaching, see the value in addressing the needs of their employees rather than allowing problems to fester until the intrusive hand of government is required. Most importantly, such cooperation is built upon the foundation of the dignity of the worker, whose presence in the enterprise is a good in itself, not merely the means to a profit.

(Editor’s note: This column was adapted from Dr. Craycraft’s book, Citizens Yet Strangers: Living Authentically Catholic in a Divided America [OSV Books, 2024]).