Loading...
Loading...
Click here if you don’t see subscription options
Clayton SinyaiJuly 28, 2011

Benedict XVI  devoted much of his encyclical Caritas in Veritate to issues of globalization, including the observation that “the global context in which work takes place also demands that national labour unions, which tend to limit themselves to defending the interests of their registered members, should turn their attention to those outside their membership, and in particular to workers in developing countries where social rights are often violated [64].” America is a developed country in which social rights are, sadly, often violated – every year thousands of American workers are illegally disciplined or fired for exercising their right to organize.

Thanks to such global labor solidarity, however, that didn’t happen when workers sought to form a union at the new IKEA plant in Danville, Virginia. IKEA is signatory to a worldwide agreement with a global confederation of unions – the International Federation of Building and Wood Workers – pledging to honor the right of workers to organize. Moreover, back in the home country, Sweden’s powerful labor unions helped make sure the company honored that agreement. Without unlawful interference by their bosses, on Wednesday IKEA’s Danville workers voted to join the International Association of Machinists by more than three to one.

Comments are automatically closed two weeks after an article's initial publication. See our comments policy for more.
Vince Killoran
12 years 8 months ago
Thanks-a great story about the need for solidarity across borders.

But I'll wait for management to sign the first contract before having that celebratory drink.  Labor law in the USA is lopsided in managment's favor: employers can violate the law with little fear of real fines. Even after a successful election in favor of collective bargaining management draws out negotiations for years sometimes. It's no wonder that labor activists are increasingly looking to alternative ways to represent workers outside the confines of the NLRA.
12 years 8 months ago
A union election where the union and management got to present their sides and a secrete ballot was taken with high participation of workers.

What a model of how employees should choose to organize (or not)!

Nice to see AMERICA magazine , Clayton, Vince and I can all celebrate this model instead of the discredited ''card check'' / public bulling scam that unions could not even ram though a government seemingly stacked for success- for two years a liberal president and the overwhelming democratic party majority.


John O'Grady
12 years 8 months ago
I am not on point in responding to this article.  However, I am concerned about Catholics mis-interpreting Papal Documents on Social Justice such as Centesimus Annus.  Apparently, "they" consider the encyclical to have "endorsed" capitalism, and harp on "subsidiarity" as proof of "lesser" government.  Egads!  Here is one interesting article that points to some of the errors.
http://distributist.blogspot.com/2009/01/what-does-centesimus-annus-really-teach.html

The latest from america

The 12 women whose feet were washed by Pope Francis included women from Italy, Bulgaria, Nigeria, Ukraine, Russia, Peru, Venezuela and Bosnia-Herzegovina.
"We, the members of the Society of Jesus, continue to be lifted up in prayer, in lament, in protest at the death and destruction that continue to reign in Gaza and other territories in Israel/Palestine, spilling over into the surrounding countries of the Middle East."
The Society of JesusMarch 28, 2024
A child wounded in an I.D.F. bombardment is brought to Al Aqsa hospital in Deir al Balah, Gaza Strip, on March 25. (AP Photo/Ismael abu dayyah)
While some children have been evacuated from conflict, more than 1.1 million children in Gaza and 3.7 million in Haiti have been left behind to face the rampaging adult world around them.
Kevin ClarkeMarch 28, 2024
Easter will not be postponed this year. It will not wait until the war is over. It is precisely now, in our darkest hour, that resurrection finds us.
Stephanie SaldañaMarch 28, 2024