Earlier this year, a few Catholic colleges drew a lot of national attention when they said a union of adjunct instructors would threaten their religious identity. But with no fanfare, hundreds of other Catholic hospitals, nursing homes, schools and, yes, colleges, bargain with unions representing their employees -- after all, the Catholic Church has taught for more than 100 years that workers have the right to organize! Just in time for Labor Day, the DC-based Catholic Labor Network released a list of about 500 such Catholic institutions employing union labor. Washington-area examples include UNITE HERE food service workers in the cafeteria at the National Shrine, CWA/TNG reporters at Catholic News Service... and of course, adjunct faculty at Georgetown and Trinity Washington universities represented by SEIU 500. Curious about your hometown? Check out the 2016 Gaudium et Spes Catholic Employer Report.
- Clayton Sinyai, Catholic Labor Network; photo: Georgetown University Solidarity, courtesy Unite Here
- Clayton Sinyai, Catholic Labor Network; photo: Georgetown University Solidarity, courtesy Unite Here