WASHINGTON — This yr’s annual Labor Day statement from the U.S. bishops touts two bills awaiting motion in Congress as being useful to kids, girls and families: the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act and an growth of the federal baby tax credit score.
“Even before current economic uncertainties, women — especially women of African descent and Latina women — earned less than their male counterparts, including when doing the same work with the same qualifications,” stated Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City, chairman of the bishops’ Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, within the statement.
“They filled the majority of direct care jobs, experiencing increased risk of injury, high stress, and exposure to illness while earning low wages. They were the majority of caretakers for their loved ones, yet many lacked adequate family and medical leave policies. These and other economic challenges continue to affect working families and children,” Archbishop Coakley stated.
The statement, “Building a Just Economy for Women and Families,” dated Sept. 5 — Labor Day — was launched Aug. 31.
Noting that this was the primary Labor Day because the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade, Archbishop Coakley stated: “This unique moment necessitates a society and an economy that supports marriages, families and women; it demands that all of us reach across political aisles and work diligently to reframe social policies in ways that are pro-woman, pro-family, pro-worker and, thus, authentically pro-life.”
He steered that each the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act and the kid tax credit score growth fulfill that objective, calling the previous one of many bishops’ “policy priorities.”
“There is currently no federal law requiring employers to provide short-term, reasonable accommodations to pregnant women in the workplace and the PWFA would do so. Common requests include being able to carry a bottle of water, a stool for jobs that involve long periods of standing, or lighter duty for jobs that entail heavy lifting,” he stated.
“Women in low-wage and physically demanding jobs, disproportionately held by women of color, are regularly denied these simple accommodations and terminated or forced to take leave without pay. A number of states already have laws like this in place; however, pregnant women in every state should be protected by these standards.”
The invoice has handed the House, however awaits motion in a Senate working out of days on its calendar. “No woman should be forced to risk her or her child’s health, miscarriage, preterm birth, economic security or losing insurance benefits just because she requests a short-term, reasonable, pregnancy-related accommodation,” Archbishop Coakley stated.
The archbishop used the statement to press for passage of an expanded baby tax credit score.
“In 2021, the CTC provided financial relief for families who were having difficulty making ends meet. Families largely spent this money on food, energy bills, housing payments and other basic needs. With rising inflation, continuing to expand this tax credit would be critically helpful to families forced to choose between buying food and filling up their gas tanks,” Archbishop Coakley stated.
“Congress should move forward with a CTC proposal that has no minimum income requirement, includes families with mixed immigration status, is available for the year before birth, and is offered to every child — regardless of the size of the family,” he added. “The CTC was enormously effective at reducing child poverty in 2021 and we should not regress from this progress.”
Passing each bills, Archbishop Coakley stated, “would have a profound impact on family stability, especially for families who are financially vulnerable.”
He additionally voiced themes widespread within the annual Labor Day statement, amongst them federal paid depart coverage, simply wages and the suitable to set up. “We have long called for a system in which the whole of society enjoys fundamental human needs including nutrition, affordable housing, education, and health care,” the archbishop stated.
“The efforts of labor unions have helped union workers fare better during the pandemic than nonunion workers, as they were more likely to maintain their pay and their jobs,” he added.
He additionally lauded the efforts of organizations funded by the Catholic Campaign for Human Development that “work on low-wage workers’ rights and training, in an effort to eliminate labor trafficking and related workplace abuses such as wage theft.”
Archbishop Coakley took observe of the loss of life 20 years in the past of Msgr. George G. Higgins, head of what was then referred to as the bishops’ Social Action Department and who both wrote or consulted on a number of a long time price of Labor Day statements.
“He was a fervent advocate of economic justice for all, working closely with unions and union organizers, including Cesar Chavez and the United Farm Workers, and received many awards, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom,” Archbishop Coakley stated.
“May the spirit and example of Msgr. Higgins inspire us, ” he stated, “that we might have the wisdom to build up justice and improve the lives of workers and their families as he did throughout his life.”
The statement will be seen right here: https://www.usccb.org/resources/Labor%20Day%20Statement%202022_0.pdf