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Labor Unions - Champions of Social Justice


Labor Unions have contributed much to the social progress of America. Without them, we would not enjoy the quality of life that we enjoy today.

Labor Unions have given much to America. The great middle class that is the economic and social backbone of the United States has prospered due, in large part, to the rights that were fought for and won by the labor movement.

Today, Union membership is not growing to the extent that it did in the past. Some claim that Unions are not needed in the modern world. Why would this be the case? The modern worker may carry a portable computer rather than a hammer, but businesses still work the way they did in yesteryear. If anything they seem to be less compassionate.

This indicates that Unions are needed now more than ever. The Catholic Church has traditionally endorsed Labor Unions as a vehicle for advancing the plight of the worker. In this thesis, the papal iii encyclicals that provide the Church''s foundation of the labor movement are shown. Several examples of corporate exploitation are given in an effort to demonstrate why unions are necessary today. International solidarity is shown by way of example also. The 2001 Right to Work (RTW) election in Oklahoma is analyzed in detail.

About the Author

Gregory Guthrie

Greg Guthrie has held positions at the US Department of Commerce, Library of Congress and the World Bank, taught the course ‘Environmental Issues in the Mediterranean”.
 
At Georgetown University where he wrote his thesis: “Labor Unions: Champions of Social Justice”, which has been cited, among others, in Labor Law Journal, and in the book ‘ American Labor: A Documentary Collection’ Ed. by Melvyn Dubofsky and Joseph A. McCartin. Palgrave Macmillan, 2004. Currently, he is with the National Technical Information Service (NTIS) of the US Department of Commerce.
 
He has been a guest on the radio program, Georgetown University Forum, where he has spoken on the virtues of Organized Labor. He is a native Oklahoman.
 

Presentations at Association of Graduate Liberal Studies Programs (AGLSP) annual meetings.

  • AGLSP 2017. Johnson City, TN “Labor History of Oklahoma – a Rough and Rocky Road.”
  • AGLSP 2019. Washington, DC “Labor Solidarity in the Government Shutdown of 2018-2019”

Responsibilities at National Technical Information Service (NTIS)

  • Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Associate Officer
  • National Technical Reports Library (NTRL) – Program Manager
  • NTIS Records Management Officer

Union

  • President – National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE) 1627

Professional

  • American Society of Access Professionals (ASAP)
  • Catholic Labor Network
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