Pray for workers this Labor Day

 

Bill Knight column for Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday, 8-24, 25 or 26

As Labor Day looms, the stock market has set new record highs – proving again that Wall Street doesn’t reflect Main Street, much less working people. Most Americans were more affected by circumstances revealed in the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ apocalyptic report that the economy fell by almost one-third – the Gross Domestic Product at the end of June was 32.9% lower than the second quarter in 2019, the biggest decline on record – hardly Good News.

The reported 10.2% U.S. jobless rate for July fell by 0.9% from June, but 1.2 million Americans filed first-time claims for unemployment benefits the same week – the 20th consecutive week of more than 1 million claims. Further, BLS’ stats can be misleading. The agency said the number of jobless last month was 16.3 million, 1.4 million fewer than in June. But that doesn’t include more than 6 million workers who were unemployed before the pandemic struck, nor people without work but receiving federal payments through separate aid funneled through their employers. Adding those jobless workers to the 16.3 million listed results in 22.3 million unemployed Americans, or a jobless rate of 14%. That’s a Great Depression number.

So while Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Congressman Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) propose a new Workers Bill of Rights, everyday workers know that only something like Divine intervention will force Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to permit lawmakers to even consider the measure.

Regular folks might reasonably turn to the Good News as expressed generally in the Bible and specifically by Pope Francis. Marking Labor Day, the Pontiff publicly prayed:

“God our Father, Creator of heaven and Earth, we thank you for gathering us as brothers and sisters. We pray to you for workers everywhere.

“We pray for those who work with their hands and with immense physical effort: Soothe their wearied frames, that they may tenderly caress their children and join in their games.

“Grant them unfailing spiritual strength and physical health, lest they succumb beneath the burden of their labors. Grant that the fruits of their work may ensure a dignified life to their families. May they come home at night to warmth, comfort and encouragement and together, under your gaze, find true joy.

“May our families know that the joy of earning our daily bread becomes perfect when that bread is shared. May our children not be forced to work, but receive schooling and continue their studies, and may their teachers devote themselves fully to their task, without needing other work to make a decent living.

“God of justice, touch the hearts of owners and managers. May they make every effort to ensure that workers receive a just wage and enjoy conditions respectful of their human dignity.

“Father, in your mercy, take pity on those who lack work. May unemployment – the cause of such great misery – disappear from our societies. May all know the joy and dignity of earning their daily bread and bringing it home to support their loved ones.

“Create among workers a spirit of authentic solidarity. May they learn to be attentive to one another, to encourage one another, to support those in difficulty and to lift up those who have fallen.

“Let their hearts not yield to hatred, resentment or bitterness in the face of injustice. May they keep alive their hope for a better world, and work to that end.

“Together, may they constructively defend their rights. Grant that their voices and demands may be heard. God our Father, you have made St. Joseph, foster father of Jesus and courageous spouse of the Virgin Mary, protector of workers throughout the world. To him I entrust all those who labor, especially those experiencing uncertainty and hardship. May he keep them in the love of your Son and sustain them in their livelihood and in their hope.

“Amen.”

And pray for a good Labor Day and justice ahead.