Labor and faith, sharing a table

Faith communities and the labor movement share a deep, intertwined history, grounded in common commitments to human dignity, justice and the worth of work. These two communities came together in a preconvention roundtable July 15 to discuss the history of their solidarity-but more importantly, to chart a course for the future.

Recalling all the times clergy have walked the picket lines, moderator Leah Daughtry, national presiding prelate of the House of the Lord Churches, welcomed participants and noted that both movements are measured by relationships-by how many people will pick up the phone when you call. Daughtry, also the founder and president of Power Rising, opened the discussion with a prayer for our work to lead to justice.

AFT President Randi Weingarten told the group it's been a dream of hers to revive the connections between faith and labor. People need community, but all too often find themselves segmented into different tribes, she said.

The places Weingarten said she often feels whole are at religious services or around the dinner table. "How many times have we seen that, in times of great trauma, the church is the way we come together?" she asked.

Yet, unless there's a strike or a big problem, labor leaders don't often bring faith leaders into our coalitions. Weingarten advised participants not to wait for a crisis and then say, "Oh, wait, who's that rabbi? Where's that church?" She encouraged them to find a way for the faithful to feel just as comfortable in a union hall as they do in a pew. Because when that happens, it helps ensure that people in every union and every faith tradition will have a better life.

Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum, director of The Beacon and Weingarten's wife, bemoaned the fact that we live in a time when some national leaders ruin the ability of people to live in dignity and justice.

"There is nothing holier in the world than economic justice," she said. "Religion can either be a source of oppression or a source of liberation."

Kleinbaum encouraged the group to make plans for interfaith connections. She asked how to make people feel comfortable and safe: Do we provide food? What does it mean when we hold labor events on the Sabbath?

Daughtry asked the panel: What gets you up in the morning?

Rabbi Jill Jacobs, the CEO of T'ruah, lauded the rabbis who have been standing up to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. "There are no promises that everything is going to be perfect in the promised land," she said. "But we're going to keep moving. We have to keep fighting."

Stephen Schneck, a board member of Catholic Climate Covenant, noted that reinvigorating the heart of the labor movement is critical right now to counteract the many ways the Trump administration dishonors the dignity of work. "The faith traditions and the union traditions understand social justice," he said.

Debbie Almontaser, CEO and founder of the Bridging Cultures Group, said a good way to show sensitivity toward the Muslim community would be to avoid doing standardized testing on Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha. Muslim children, she said, should not have to choose between their faith and their education.

Bishop Dwayne Royster, executive director of the Faith in Action network, credited the Black church with helping shape the progress of the nation, citing labor leader A. Philip Randolph as deeply rooted in the African Methodist Episcopal Church.

Royster said it's important for labor leaders not to "rent-a-collar," i.e., bring in a member of the clergy and tell them what to say. "My faith tradition grew out of oppression," he said, advising participants to make sure that no one ever walks alone.

[Annette Licitra/Justin McCartney]