Social Justice Dignity of Work and Rights of Workers
Catholic social teaching tells us to advocate for just wages. In their 1986 economics pastoral, the bishops of the United States wrote: "The first line of attack against poverty must be to build and sustain a healthy economy that provides employment opportunities at just wages for all adults who are able to work." How do you define a "just" wage in today’s society? What can Catholics do to increase employment oppor-tunities? "The richer class have many ways of shielding them-selves, and stand less in need of help from the State; whereas the mass of the poor have no resources of their own to fall back upon, and must chiefly depend upon the assistance of the State.

It is for this reason that wage-earners, since they mostly belong in the mass of the needy, should be specially cared for and protected by the government." -Rerum Novarum page 37

As a Catholic, how do you feel the above paragraph relates to the current debate about minimum wage in Connecticut? Please email us your thoughts at sjc.st.catherine@gmail.com