Labor Sunday message features call for workers' rights
8/7/2000
WASHINGTON (UMNS) - A call for workers' rights dominates United Methodist bishops' Labor Day message for Sept. 3.
"Workers' rights are human rights," according to the document, signed by William B. Oden, president of the Council of Bishops of the United Methodist Church, and Albert Frederick Mutti, chairman of the denomination's Concern for Workers Task Force. "In a global economy, we can no longer think in terms of 'we' and 'them,' but we must define values and rights in terms of 'us.'"
The message, part of a worship resource prepared for churches to use, notes that on an average day in the United States, 150 workers lose their lives and another 16,000 are injured.
"We cannot continue to support industries that exploit child labor and women in sweatshops; we cannot allow economic gain and wealth for the few [to] destroy the rights of workers to engage in collective bargaining and profit sharing," the message says.
"The Bible," say the bishops, "upholds the dignity of human life and the rights of every individual to find fulfillment in God's creation."
The other worship resources for the day include a litany in which the refrain is "Jesus, worker and carpenter from Nazareth, hear our prayer." Special prayers for confession and the dedication of the offering are also included.
The bishops' message and the prayers are available at www.umc-gbcs.org on the Board of Church and Society Web site, and the litany, a repeat of one introduced a few years ago, is in the Christian Social Action magazine. A mailing is being sent to about 700 church people identified with labor and justice issues. Additional inquiries may be addressed to the board's Mark Harrison at (202) 488-5645 or mharrison@umc-gbcs.org.
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