Under banners stressing solidarity, hundreds of union members processed into St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Sept. 9 for a Mass celebrated before the annual Labor Day Parade. They represented dozens of unions for steamfitters, ironworkers, electricians, and trades traditionally associated with organized labor.
They were joined as well by teachers, government employees, and actors. Also seated in the front pews were representatives of Obreros Unidos (Workers United), part of the Day Labor Center in Yonkers sponsored by Catholic Charities.
During his homily at the Mass, Monsignor Kevin Sullivan, executive director of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York, told the unionists that their presence indicates their strength, “one of the reasons why this is a great town.”
He noted the Church’s historic support for labor, noting that it shares a belief in the dignity of work and the right to decent wages. He added that during a time of economic stress, “We need strong organized labor more than ever,” a line greeted with applause.
Still, Monsignor Sullivan challenged labor leaders and union members, much like St. Paul challenged the Colossians in the Scripture reading for the Saturday morning Mass.
“We are not good enough,” he said. “Labor needs to step up even more so in these dark, difficult times.”
An example of a polarizing, divisive time can be found in labor’s work in collective bargaining. It is a process, when done correctly, which brings labor and management together for a common purpose and goal, he said.
“We don’t shout at each other. We don’t vilify each other. We come together and sit at the bargaining table,” noted Monsignor Sullivan.
Collective bargaining, he said, is a process where “people with different perspectives can sit down together and reach an agreement for the common good of unions, business, and society as a whole.”
Although he did not concelebrate the Mass, Cardinal Timothy Dolan joined Monsignor Sullivan in distributing communion, and added some remarks of his own at the conclusion of the Mass.
"I trust all of you know how very much at home all of you are at St. Patrick's Cathedral. You do, don't you? Struggling, eager for work immigrants built this splendid cathedral 165 years ago. It was reliably devoted, proud union laborers who repaired and restored this cathedral just a dozen years ago. This is your house, you leaders and labor. The Church loves you. The Church canonizes the hard work of human hands. The Church was founded by a man who happened to be the Son of God, who was raised in worship by his foster father, a carpenter.
"All union wants, if I read you correctly, is fairness, safety, and provision for your families. Good Lord, what noble aspirations! Who could take exception to that? Those are aspirations, my brothers and sisters, that happen to be shared by our recently arrived refugees and asylum seekers who are here with us this morning thanks to your gracious invitation. When I meet them with Monsignor Sullivan at Catholic Charities, they simply say to me, as your grandparents and great-grandparents did, 'Padre, can you help me find a little house, a school for my kids, and some work to do?' If those good people could just apply for legal work authorization and add their names, skills, and energy to America's great and proud labor force, we would be stronger. We need them and they need us. Thanks everybody for sticking up for labor," Cardinal Dolan said.
The Mass is a traditional opening for the Labor Day Parade, which in recent years has fallen on the weekend after the traditional holiday. Much of the press attention at this year’s parade focused on the actors and screenwriters, who are part of a well-publicized strike in the entertainment industry. Relative newcomers at the Mass this year were the Obreros Unidos workers, who credited their organization with defending their rights in the labor force as immigrant day laborers, a group historically vulnerable to exploitation.
Speaking in Spanish, Obreros Unidos members at the Mass praised the organization which, while not a union, plays a role in defending the rights of immigrant workers.
Pastor Figueroa, a native of Mexico and construction worker, said that Obreros Unidos has helped him with education on federal work safety rules. In her two years with the group, Reina Morales, who works in childcare, has found that the organization is a support that goes beyond work issues, bringing together immigrants in Westchester for social gatherings and education.
“Obreros Unidos is my community,” she said.
Fidel Bolanos, also a construction worker who immigrated from Mexico, said that the organization assists across a wide set of concerns for immigrants in Westchester County. One is to interact with local police, to assuage fears of new immigrants that they could be targeted due to immigration status. He praised the organization for providing English classes and for legal assistance in claiming unpaid wages.