Catholic Scholars for Worker Justice: Sign-On Sheet

Sign-on Statement in Support of the Employee Free Choice Act

We speak as scholars who are committed to Catholic Social Teaching concerning the human right of workers to organize employee unions. The Magisterium of the Catholic Church recognizes “the fundamental role played by labor unions, whose existence is connected with the right to form associations or unions to defend the vital interests of workers employed in the various professions.” Indeed, the Catholic Church holds that unions “are a positive influence for social order and solidarity, and are therefore an indispensible element of social life.” Because Catholic teaching is based on natural law, we believe the Church’s teachings have relevance not only to Catholic institutions but also to the broader civil society. Specifically, we hold the following:

* The present legal and moral framework that is intended to assist workers to form unions is badly broken. Workers who seek to form unions are routinely met with employer resistance to their right to organize. Many employers intimidate, ostracize, or fire union organizers, deny free speech to workers on the job, threaten the loss of jobs and benefits, and hire “union avoidance” firms that – despite employers’ protests to the contrary – actively seek to prevent union elections from taking place at all. Present labor law is so weak that when elections actually take place many employers ignore the results with little impunity and when employers do bargain it can take years to reach a first contract, if at all.

* There is an a priori presumption for unions in Catholic Social Teaching. Catholic teaching states that the right to organize unions is based on the human right of freedom of association that is found in the natural law. The right to organize belongs to the workers alone and cannot be abridged or annulled by civil or ecclesiastical authorities. The method or venue that workers choose to form a union is also their choice: workers may say yea or nay, stand or sit, sign statements or cards, or hold a secret ballot election. The right of workers to freely choose unions necessarily involves their right to decide how they shall decide for or against a union.

* The Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) is rooted in and supported by Catholic Social Teaching. The EFCA would: (1) Recognize the right of workers to join a union through filing signed cards – know as “card check” -- that state their decision to form a union; (2) mandate mediation and arbitration if a first contract cannot be negotiated within the first 90 days; (3) impose stronger penalties on employers that violate workers’ rights. Workers can also choose a secret ballot election if that is their choice. These provisions strongly reflect the Catholic position that the decision to form or join unions is always the workers’ choice. Most importantly, the workers’ decision to unionize must not meet with hostility or resistance from employers.

More than 150 members and friends of Catholics Scholars for Worker Justice have signed their names to endorse our statement on the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA).

CSWJ STEERING COMMITTEE

Joseph J. Fahey	Professor of Religious Studies	Manhattan College

Mary Priniski	Chapter Prioress	Adrian Dominican Sisters

Joe Holland	Professor of Philosophy & Religion	St. Thomas University of Florida

Thomas A. Kochan	Professor of Management	Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Louise Akers	Coordinator of Office of Peace, Justice	Sisters of Charity

Jerome P. Baggett	Assoc. Professor of Religion and Society	Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley

Raymond G. Decker	Pastor Emeritus	Retired Priest, San Francisco

Teresa Ghilarducci	Professor of Economics	New School for Social Research

Jay Gonzalez	Associate Professor of Politics	University of San Francisco

David Gregory	Dorothy Day Professor of Law	St. John's University Law School

James A. Gross	Professor of Labor Policy	Cornell University

Father Brian Jordan	Labor Priest, Director	Holy Name Province Labor-Immigration Project

Peter J Judge	Associate Professor of Religious Studies & Department Chair	Winthrop University

Thomas Massaro, S.J.	Professor of Theology	Boston College

Maria Mazzenga	Education Archivist/Historian	Catholic University of America

Joseph A. McCartin	Associate Professor of History	Georgetown University

Sr. Sharon McGuire	Associate Professor of Nursing	Siena Heights University

Amata Miller	Professor of Economics	College of St. Catherine

David O'Brien	Emeritus Professor of Catholic Studies	College of the Holy Cross

John J OBrien	Adjunct for Catholic Social Doctrine	Blessed John XXIII National Seminary

William P. Quigley	Professor of Law	Loyola University College of Law

Patrick J. Sullivan	Lecturer in Sociology	King's College, Wilkes-Barre, PA

Terrence W Tilley	Professor of Theology & Department Chair	Fordham Univesity

John Trumpbour	Research Director	Harvard Law School

Martin Wolfson	Director, Higgins Labor Studies Program	University of Notre Dame

CSWJ MEMBERS AND FRIENDS

Stanislaus Alla, S.J.	Fr	Boston College

Mark J. Allman	Assoc Prof of Relig & Theo Studies.	Merrimack College

Charlotte Antal	Theology Teacher	Bishop Brady High School

Wilkie W. Au	Professor, Theological Studies	Loyola Marymount Unniversity

James Bailey	Assistant Professor	Duquesne University

William Barbieri	Associate Professor of	Catholic University of America

Michael Barram	Associate Professor of Theology & Religious Studies	Saint Mary's College of California

Karen A. Barta	Dr.	Seattle University

Jan Barthel	Comm. Coordinator	Mt. Tabor Benedictines

Peter H. Beisheim	Professor of Religious Studies	Stonehill College

Rosanne Belpedio	Sister	Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet

Roger Bergman	Director, Justice & Peace Studies Program	Creighton University

Gerald J. Beyer	Assistant Professor of Theology	Saint Joseph's University

Joseph Bracken	Professor Emeritus of Theology	Xavier University/Cincinnati

Jackie Brooks	Assistant Professor of Sociology	Xavier University

Brian Edward Brown	Professor of Religious Studies	Iona College

Michael J. Buckley, S.J.	Bea Professr lof Theolgy	university

Rachel Bundang	Visiting Asst Prof of Theology & Ethics	College of St. Catherine

Thomas F. Burke	Doctoral Candidate	Boston College

Dr. Russ Butkus	Associate Professor of Theology and Environmental Studies	University of Portland

Francine Cardman	Assoc. Prof.-Historical Theology	BC School of Theology and Ministry

Darryl Caterine	Associate Professor of Religious Studies	Le Moyne College

Lucas Chan	student	BC

Michael Childers	Assistant Professor of Labor Education	University of Wisconsin

Meghan Clark	Teaching Fellow	Boston College

Carol K. Coburn	Professor of Religious Studies	Avila University

Mrs. Debbie Cole	Cashier/Sales	Marburn Curtains Warehouse

David Conner	none	retired teacher

David Conner	none	retired teacher

Holly Taylor Coolman	Assistant Professor	Providence College

Catherine Cornille	Associate Professor	Boston College

Jeremy Cruz	PhD Candidate	Boston College

Mary D'Angelo	Associate Professor	University of Notre Dame

Kathleen Deignan	Professor of Religious Studies	Iona College, New Rochelle, NY

Daniel Di Domizio	Professor, Religious Studies	Cardinal Stritch University

Alexander A. Di Lella	Professor Emeritus	Catholic University of America

Peter S. Dillard	Dr.	Independent Scholar

John DMello	Adjunct Faculty	St. Vincent de Paul Seminary

James C. Doig	Professor emeritus of Philosophy	Clayton State University

Elizabeth A Drummond	Assistant Professor of History	Loyola Marymount University

Jason T. Eberl	Associate Professor of Philosophy	Indiana Univ.-Purdue Univ. Indianapolis

John P. Edwards	Doctoral Candidate, Theology	Boston College

Mary Elsbernd, OSF, Ph.D.	Professor of Pastoral Studies and Social Justice	Loyola University CHicago

L.Charisse Estes	Data Specialist	PMG Physicians Billing Office

Virginia Fenner	Spiritual Director

Dan Finn	Professor	St. John's University, Collegeville, MM

Burt Fulmer	Assistant Professor of Religion	Christian Brothers University

Edward McGlynn Gaffney	Professor of Law	Valparaiso University

Joy Galarneau	Assistant Director, Graduate Student Life	Boston College

Dr. Sixto J. Garcia, Ph.d.	Professor	St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary

Peter R. Gathje	Professor of Christian Ethics	Memphis Theological Seminary

Kathryn Getek	Teaching Fellow in Ethics	Villanova University

Chris Gilbert	Philosophy Instructor	Cuesta College

Mark Graham	Associate Professor of Theological Ethics	Villanova University

James Gross	Professor	Cornell University

Kenneth R. Himes, OFM	Associate Professor	Boston College

Irene Jillson	Assistant Professor	Georgetown University

Kevin Johnson	Doctoral Student	Boston College

Laurie Johnston	Assistant Professor	Emmanuel College

Robert Kane	University Distinguished Teaching Professor	The University of Texas at Austin

John Karuvelil	Doctoral student	Boston College

James Keenan, S.J.	Founders Professor in Theology	Boston College

Kevin Kelley	BA	NERCC

Thomas Kelly	Associate Professor	Creighton University

Paul Knitter	Paul Tillich Professor of Theology, World Religions, and Culture	Union Theological Seminary

Joseph Kroger	Professor of Religious Studis	St. Michael's College

Mary Labarre	MAPM Director	University of Portland

Dr. Patricia Lamoureux	Adjunct Professor, Philosophy & Religion	Marist College

David Lampe	Associate Professor of Biology	Duquesne University

Stephen Lieb	Retired/Substitute	Bishop Carroll Catholic HS

Rebecca Luckett	Student	Mt. Sinai School of Medicine

George Lundy, S.J.	Pastor, Catholic Student Center	Southern University at Baton Rouge

Edmondo Lupieri	Professor of Theology	Loyola University Chicago

Richard Malloy, S.J.	Assistant Professor of Cultural Anthropology	Chestnut Hill College

Carlos Martins	Rev.	Companions of the Cross

Bryan Massingale	Associate Professor of Theology	Marquette University

Robert Masson	Dr.	Marquette University

Tom Matyok	Assistant Professor	University of North Carolina Greensboro

Eugene McCarraher	Associate Professor of Humanities	Villanova University

Eli McCarthy	PhD Candidate	Graduate Theological Union

James P. McCartin	Assistant Professor of History and Catholic Studies	Seton Hall

S. McLoughlin	Graduate Student	University of New Mexico

Kathleen McManus, OP	Associate Professor of Theology	University of Portland

roland meinert	professsor emeritus	university of missouri

Mark Miller	Asst. Prof. of Theology and Rel. Studies	University of San Francisco

Amata Miller, IHM	Professor, Economics	College of St. Catherine

Michael Milz	President	Scranton Diocese Assn. of Cath. Teachers

Ronald Modras	Professor, Theological Studies	Saint Louis University

Catherine M. Mooney	Associate Professor	Boston College

Anna Moreland	Assistant Professor	Villanova University

Bruce Morrill	Assoc. Professor, Theology	Boston College

John Morris	Adjunct Professor	Saint Mary's College

William E Murnion	Dr	PhilosophyWorks

Ann Neale, PhD	Affiliated scholar, Ctr. Clin. Bioethics	Georgetown U.

Cynthia R. Nielsen	Adjunct Instructor (Philosophy and Religion)	Eastfield College

Bridget O'Brien	PhD Student, Theology	University of Notre Dame

Thomas O'Brien	Assoc. Professor of Religious Studies	DePaul University

Maureen O'Brien	Associate Professor of Theology	Duquesne University

John J. O'Grady	President	AFGE Local 704

Fr. Jack O'Malley	Chaplain	AFL-CIO Pennsylvania

Julie Martinez Ortega	Research Director	American Rights at Work

Scott Paeth	Assistant Professor of Religious Studies	DePaul University

Paul M Pearson	Director, Thomas Merton Center	Bellarmine University

Thomas Petersik, PhD	Economist

Stephen J. Pope	Professor of Theological Ethics	Boston College

Mark Potter	Director of Social Justice	California Province Jesuits

Bill Purcell	Associate Director, Center for Social Concerns	University of Notre Dame

Julie Leininger Pycior	Professor of History	Manhattan College

Tisha M. Rajendra	Instructor	University of St. Thomas (MN)

John S. Rausch	Father/Director	Catholic Committee of Appalachia

Bobby Rivera	Doctoral Student	Boston College

Steve Rosswurm	Professor of History	Lake Forest College

Andrew Russell	Religious Educator

James Salmon	Affiliate Assoc. Prof.	Loyola College

Brendan T. Sammon	Teaching Fellow	CUA

Valerie Sayers	Professor of English	University of Notre Dame

Daniel Scheid	Assistant Professor of Theology	Duquesne University

Les Schmidt	Bishops' Liaison	Catholic Committee of the South

Sally Scholz	Professor of Philosophy	Villanova University

David G. Schultenover, S.J.	Professor	Marquette University

Robert A. Senser	Editor	Human Rights for Workers

Marc Simon	Associate Professor	Bowling Green State University

Andrew Skotnicki	Professor of Religious Studies	Manhattan College

Seth Smith	PhD Candidate	Catholic University of America

John Sniegocki	Assoc. Professor of Christian Ethics	Xavier University

Marcia Snowden	member	Association of Pittsburgh Priests

William Spilly	Reverend	St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish, Hamlin,

Dawn Stary	Ms.	Interfaith Committee for Worker Justice

Brian Stiltner	Assoc. Prof. of Religious Studies	Sacred Heart University

Edward Sunshine	Professor of Theology	Barry University

Rev. Gene Szarek, C.R., Ph.D.	Clinical Asst. Prof.	Loyola University Chicago

Tracy Tiemeier	Asst. Professor of Theological Studies	Loyola Marymount University

Edson Toneti	STL	Archdiocese of São Paulo

Suzanne Toton	Associate Professor	Villanova University

Edward Vacek, S.J.	Professor of Moral Theology	Boston College

Nelson Varona	ORGANISED	south florida AFL-CIO

John M. Walsh	Executive Board Member	Labor Guild of Boston

James Weber	Professor of Business Ethics	Duquesne University

William Werpehowski	Professor of Christian Ethics	Villanova University

James A. Wiseman	Professor of Theology	The Catholic University of America

Roger Yockey	Mr.	Retired

Jeanne Zaino	Professor of Political Science	Iona College

Catholic Scholars for Worker Justice