As AFL-CIO charts its future, alliance with Catholic Church is vital

As AFL-CIO charts its future, alliance with Catholic Church is vital 

Trumka was very tolerant of the Church's foibles, especially with regard to the teacher's union, the insane ignorance of constitutional law and its doctrinal opposition to the right to strike. Would that the Church would learn such tolerance.  

The AFL-CIO needs to make peace with white collars. It can reach out to onsite government contractors, who can be fired at will be government agencies where they work. The right to fire at will is a feature, not a flaw, and it is a justification for not hiring people as staff. More importantly, it needs to branch out to employee-owned firms (which, ironically, need board representation, not the right to strike). The value of any relationship is the ability to grow together. May both the union movement and the Church realize that they each have room to grow.

Social issues are not something "over there." Their use by conservatives to divide workers is endemic, especially on gender and race.  Church needs to make its peace with our Constitution (which is the essence of the enlightenment). Many thought it already had in promulgating Dignitatis Humanae. Of course, this was before Roe. The principle behind individual rights is to accept others when you don't like their choices. Even abortion. 

Historically, just as the Unions ignored abortion rights, the Evangelicals did as well (for them, it was not an issue). This all changed when racism in education lost its tax breaks and its acceptability. The Catholics made a devil's bargain when it let itself be led into the GOP at the behest of White Evangelicals. It is an abuse relationship the Church much leave if it is serious about opposing Authoritarian Capitalism (there is nothing libertarian about it). Sadly, the Church likes authoritarianism, or at least the hierarchy does. They will need to change this to be of any help to labor.

The Church can start by making voting for the President's economic stimulus bill, which makes refundable child tax credits permanent, must pass pro-life education. Call it a show of good faith.