Our Mission

In times of economic hardship, it is essential to put the needs of workers and families at the forefront of plans to repair and stimulate the economy. As people of faith, we must stand with workers in their struggles and ensure that they are protected and can provide for themselves and their families.

That's why we, as faith leaders, support the Employee Free Choice Act, which will give workers a free and fair chance to join unions without fear of intimidation. It's a commonsense way to support working families and restore fairness to the workplace and our society.

One of the most effective means to ensure workers’ protection is for them to join a union. Union representation is a vehicle to reduce poverty for workers in low-wage jobs, provide health care and pension benefits for families, improve health and safety in the workplace, advocate economic and social policies that support all workers, and provide workers a role in workplace decisions.

Religious leaders are particularly important to demonstrate that this is an issue of fundamental justice and respect of the dignity of each human being. With the current economic crisis, we must remember that we need to create good jobs, not just any jobs – jobs that provide living wages, decent working conditions and allow everyone to have a voice and dignity at work. Unions have been vital to bringing workers into the middle class and raising standards even for those in the lowest wage sectors of our economy.

Furthermore, our religious traditions affirm the right of workers to freely organize themselves. Our traditions address the need for freedom in the workplace, basic human dignity, and a voice at work. All workers have the right to form a union without fear or harassment.