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A Christian’s Approach to Unionism

Previously, we established that there are good professional reasons to belong to CLAC and that there are definite benefits for doing so. However, there may be some moral opposition to being a part of a labour union.

The question of whether being part of a labour union is compatible with Christian convictions has been a contentious issue.There is no singular correct answer to that question because in certain circumstances that question could and should be answered yes, and in others it could and should be answered no.

This is so because, as with any institution, a union has the potential to be a force for good or a force for evil and lands somewhere on the spectrum in-between the two poles. On a philosophical and ideological level, one must determine if the union’s core values and actions are in-step with, neutral to, or contradictory with personal values held.

Is the union’s ideology and the actions they endorse more to one side of that spectrum, and how far toward that end are they? Do their values, methods, and actions on labour relations line up with yours? Do they have values and positions beyond workplace issues that speak into other social issues, and how does what they promote line up with Christian views?

These questions may seem tangential but are highly important in the overall picture. CLAC uses a biblical view of work and the balancing of relationships between employees and managers, as the Bible supplies all that is necessary for every good work and is an all-sufficient rule for faith and practice, useful for teaching, training, and correcting.

The activity we call “work” is a divine calling and a creational mandate. In other words, work is something God assigned people to do prior to the Fall into sin. However, the Fall also affected everything that people do, including their work—the what, how, and why they do it as well as the relationships and interactions within it.

Neither management nor employees have a monopoly on the just, right, and fair way to act. Our view of these things is diminished by our own desires and the way we believe things ought to be from our self-focused viewpoint. Instead, they are to struggle and work out together to find what is best and right in their circumstance. Together, they are to strive to look after the interests of all and not just their own. This is best done and possibly only able to be done in a power-balanced relationship.

The truth that workers are to do their work to the best of their ability in honour and obedience to their managers goes hand-in-hand with the truth that managers are not to take advantage of their workers but are to treat them fairly, believing that the worker is worthy of their wages.

Christians, even with their best intentions, come short both as workers and as managers. Even with God’s law that “you shall not oppress a hired worker” and with Jesus saying, “for the worker deserves his wages,” James had to admonish Christina employers that, “Look! The wages you failed to pay the workers who mowed your fields are crying out against you.”

Though the world is still this way today and will remain this way forever, we are able to do better in this regard by degrees through the application of biblical principles.

CLAC’s purpose is to advocate for justice on behalf of workers. But true biblical justice means to find a proper balance to the authority, rights, and responsibilities with the needs and interests of all. The intention is to restore and maintain justice thereby creating an atmosphere in which grace and mercy can be shared in balance with and by everyone.

The question of whether one can be consistent with the Christian faith and belong to a labour union is a legitimate one to explore. But, in regard to that question as it pertains to belonging to CLAC as a particular union, the answer is a resounding yes.

In fact, for people who work in a Christian faith-based organization, the idea of employing CLAC to assist in the day-to-day issues of labour relations should line up very well with both your own personal beliefs as well as your organization’s philosophical and ideological view of work and how labour and management are to relate together.

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