{"id":8244,"date":"2025-05-07T08:10:07","date_gmt":"2025-05-07T13:10:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/advocacy\/?p=8244"},"modified":"2025-05-07T08:12:48","modified_gmt":"2025-05-07T13:12:48","slug":"dignity-of-work-historically-and-today","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/advocacy\/dignity-of-work-historically-and-today\/","title":{"rendered":"Dignity of Work Historically and Today"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: right\"><em>By Emily Ahern, ELCA Hunger Advocacy Fellow <a href=\"#emily\"> [About the Author]\u00a0<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">On May 1st, many observed the public holiday May Day, otherwise known as International Workers\u2019 Day. This day is set aside specifically to commemorate working class people and to shed light on the demands made by people involved in the labor movement. Christians have intertwined with this movement, historically and today, and Lutheran teaching shapes our point of view.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h5><span style=\"color: #4b0082\"><b>A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE\u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/h5>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">May 1 was specifically chosen to commemorate the strike which would culminate in the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/event\/Haymarket-Affair\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Haymarket Riot<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, a clash between labor protesters and police on May 4, 1886 which led to the deaths of at least eight people and brought increased attention to the American labor movement.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2025\/05\/2306-antitranslegjj-2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-8259\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2025\/05\/2306-antitranslegjj-2-200x300.png\" alt=\"White text on purple background with a black curly brace and quotation marks design.\" width=\"200\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/advocacy\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2025\/05\/2306-antitranslegjj-2-200x300.png 200w, https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/advocacy\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2025\/05\/2306-antitranslegjj-2-683x1024.png 683w, https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/advocacy\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2025\/05\/2306-antitranslegjj-2-768x1152.png 768w, https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/advocacy\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2025\/05\/2306-antitranslegjj-2-250x375.png 250w, https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/advocacy\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2025\/05\/2306-antitranslegjj-2-233x350.png 233w, https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/advocacy\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2025\/05\/2306-antitranslegjj-2.png 800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">From the turn of the 19th century up until the Great Depression, labor organizers found <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/oxfordre.com\/americanhistory\/display\/10.1093\/acrefore\/9780199329175.001.0001\/acrefore-9780199329175-e-252?p=emailA6Y1tn09Qvza.&amp;d=\/10.1093\/acrefore\/9780199329175.001.0001\/acrefore-9780199329175-e-252#:~:text=In%20turn%2C%20the%20religious%20voices%20associated%20with,workers%20to%20historic%20highs%20in%20the%201950s.\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">allies in religious Americans<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, particularly those of Protestant affiliation. An influx of Protestant immigrants saw workers entering the \u201ccraft\u201d trades (supported both by what is known as the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/event\/Social-Gospel\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Social Gospel<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> and the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/money\/Protestant-ethic\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Protestant Work Ethic<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">). With significant representation in the largest group of unions in the country, the American Federation of Labor (AFL) (the largest group of unions in the country), Protestants felt a pull to adhere to the Social Gospel\u2019s call to social justice and often both turned to union work and supported the rights of others to unionize.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The Great Depression saw the integration of many religious, racial and ethnic groups in union spaces. The Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO), which first broke away from the AFL due to disagreements over their belief in the organization of all industries (craft and non-craft alike), reintegrated with the AFL after its leadership was ousted in droves due to allegations of communist affiliation. Together, the AFL and the CIO formed what is now known as the AFL-CIO, and those who were once part of the CIO took to organizing laborers in non-craft trades, who were often Catholic or Jewish, in droves. Soon, the labor movement became a monolith composed of different identity groups &#8211; racial barriers began to be broken down, and workers of a number of faith traditions worked together on issues related to workers\u2019 rights.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h5><span style=\"color: #4b0082\"><b>LUTHERAN SHAPING OF VIEW ON LABOR<\/b><\/span><\/h5>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">In my reflection, I think it is in our marrow to work. Genesis 2:15 says that humankind was placed in the Garden of Eden to work it and keep it. Perhaps most importantly, Colossians 3:23-24 says that \u201cWhatever task you must do, work as if your soul depends on it, as for the Lord and not for humans, since you know that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward; you serve the Lord Christ.\u201d Our Christian tradition teaches the inherent dignity of all human beings, as we are made in the image of God. Our work can express this dignity; however, work is not all that we are as humans.<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\"><a href=\"#work\"><sup>1<\/sup><\/a> <\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2025\/05\/2306-antitranslegjj-1.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-8260\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2025\/05\/2306-antitranslegjj-1-200x300.png\" alt=\"Purple background with a quote about Luther's perspective on work in white text, framed by curly brackets.\" width=\"200\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/advocacy\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2025\/05\/2306-antitranslegjj-1-200x300.png 200w, https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/advocacy\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2025\/05\/2306-antitranslegjj-1-683x1024.png 683w, https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/advocacy\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2025\/05\/2306-antitranslegjj-1-768x1152.png 768w, https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/advocacy\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2025\/05\/2306-antitranslegjj-1-250x375.png 250w, https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/advocacy\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2025\/05\/2306-antitranslegjj-1-233x350.png 233w, https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/advocacy\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2025\/05\/2306-antitranslegjj-1.png 800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">With this understanding of human dignity, it is essential that employers treat their workers with respect. This includes being compensated fairly, given good benefits and treated fairly. <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The ELCA social statement on Economic Life calls us as a church to \u201ccommit ourselves to\u2026 cultivate participatory workplaces, support the right of employees to organize for the sake of better working conditions and to engage in collective bargaining, and refrain from intentionally undercutting union organizing activities, or from permanently replacing striking workers\u201d (<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/elcamediaresources.blob.core.windows.net\/cdn\/wp-content\/uploads\/Economic_LifeSS.pdf\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">p. 10<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">).<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">This idea goes back to <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.livinglutheran.org\/2021\/09\/tap-into-your-vocation\/\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Martin Luther<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u2019s original understanding of vocation. He made clear that all vocations &#8211; from working in farms to working as a minister &#8211; please God. <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">For Luther, all work is an opportunity to praise God and shine our light as people of faith. As we are all redeemed through faith, any work conducted in faith is an opportunity to spread the gospel and show kindness and goodness to our neighbor.<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> Martin Luther\u2019s radical understanding of vocation and its foundations in Colossians shape our Lutheran attitude toward labor today. No form of labor is above another &#8211; therefore, we are called to support each other in our vocations, including supporting the rights of all workers, union or nonunion, high-wage or low-wage.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h5><span style=\"color: #4b0082\"><b>CURRENT STATE OF AFFAIRS<a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2025\/05\/24-new-year-series-3-1-200x300-1.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-8249\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2025\/05\/24-new-year-series-3-1-200x300-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"300\" \/><\/a><\/b><\/span><\/h5>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Today, the dignity of work experiences new challenges that should concern us as Christians and workers across the United States. Recently, the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/trump-nlrb-national-labor-relations-board-gwynne-wilcox\/\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">National Labor Relations Board<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, the quasi-judicial body which litigates labor disputes and investigates companies and corporations alleged violations of labor law, has been <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/trump-nlrb-national-labor-relations-board-gwynne-wilcox\/\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">functionally frozen<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">. In an Executive Order, the White House <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dol.gov\/newsroom\/releases\/osec\/osec20250124\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">asked<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> the Department of Labor (DOL) to halt all workplace discrimination investigations. Meanwhile, policymakers are also considering cutting essential programs such as the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.inc.com\/kit-eaton\/republican-pressure-to-disband-osha-rises-amid-sweeping-trump-orders\/91143762\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Occupational Safety and Health Administration<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> (OSHA) which ensures workplace safety standards. In another Executive Order, the President <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/presidential-actions\/2025\/03\/exclusions-from-federal-labor-management-relations-programs\/\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">restricted or eliminated employment protections<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> for workers in numerous federal agencies. These agencies\u2013 including the Department of Health and Human Services and the Food and Drug Administration\u2013were questionably declared \u201cto have as a primary function intelligence, counterintelligence, investigative, or national security work,\u201d and therefore were rendered ineligible for these labor protections. As Christians with a history of upholding the whole needs of the human person, including essential elements of work, these developments should concern us.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h5><span style=\"color: #4b0082\"><b>CALL TO REFLECTION TODAY<\/b><\/span><\/h5>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Labor in the United States would not be nearly as strong, nearly as effective, or nearly as safe without people of faith. As we as Lutherans reflect on our commitment to work and human dignity, I encourage us to reflect as Lutherans on our commitment to work and human dignity not just historically but also today.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><small><a name=\"work\"><\/a>1 See also the ELCA social statement <a href=\"https:\/\/elcamediaresources.blob.core.windows.net\/cdn\/wp-content\/uploads\/Economic_LifeSS.pdf\"><em>Sufficient, Sustainable Livelihood for All<\/em><\/a>: \u201cAlthough our identity does not depend on what we do, through our work we should be able to express this God-given dignity as persons of integrity, worth, and meaning. Yet work does not constitute the whole of our life\u201d (p. 9).<\/small><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right\"><em><a name=\"emily\"><\/a><span data-teams=\"true\"><i>ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Emily Ahern (she\/her) is the Hunger Advocacy Fellow \u2013 Federal Policy with\u00a0<\/i><a id=\"menur1bf\" class=\"fui-Link ___1q1shib f2hkw1w f3rmtva f1ewtqcl fyind8e f1k6fduh f1w7gpdv fk6fouc fjoy568 figsok6 f1s184ao f1mk8lai fnbmjn9 f1o700av f13mvf36 f1cmlufx f9n3di6 f1ids18y f1tx3yz7 f1deo86v f1eh06m1 f1iescvh fhgqx19 f1olyrje f1p93eir f1nev41a f1h8hb77 f1lqvz6u f10aw75t fsle3fq f17ae5zn\" title=\"https:\/\/www.elca.org\/our-work\/publicly-engaged-church\/advocacy\" href=\"https:\/\/www.elca.org\/Our-Work\/Publicly-Engaged-Church\/Advocacy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"Link ELCA Advocacy\"><i>ELCA Advocacy<\/i><\/a><i>. She is originally from Allentown, Pennsylvania, and a lifelong member of congregations of the ELCA. She graduated from American University this past spring with a degree in Political Science, and graduated (once again) from American University this May with a Master\u2019s in Public Administration. Ahern is so excited to research and advocate for policy which will alleviate the effects of hunger and poverty for all Americans! In her free time, she can be found collecting vinyl, going to concerts and watching Star Wars.<\/i><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Emily Ahern, ELCA Hunger Advocacy Fellow [About the Author]\u00a0 On May 1st, many observed the public holiday May Day, otherwise known as International Workers\u2019 Day. This day is set aside specifically to commemorate working class people and to shed light on the demands made by people involved in the labor movement. Christians have intertwined [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":304,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1400],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8244","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-post"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Dignity of Work Historically and Today - ELCA Advocacy<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/advocacy\/dignity-of-work-historically-and-today\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Dignity of Work Historically and Today - ELCA Advocacy\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Emily Ahern, ELCA Hunger Advocacy Fellow [About the Author]\u00a0 On May 1st, many observed the public holiday May Day, otherwise known as International Workers\u2019 Day. 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