For Labor Day, cardinal urges putting people first in trade policies

WASHINGTON (CNS) — In the U.S. bishops’ annual Labor Day statement, Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick of Washington urged U.S. leaders to "look at trade policies from the bottom up — how they touch the lives of the poorest families and most vulnerable workers in our own country and around the world."

Cardinal McCarrick, who issued the statement as chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Domestic Policy, said Labor Day is a good time to think about "how to make sure the global economy works for all."

"Trade policies must reflect fundamental values of justice and dignity while encouraging sustainable growth, fighting poverty, respecting workers’ rights and caring for the environment," he said.

Labor Day is Sept. 6 this year. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops released the cardinal’s statement, "Global Trade That Works for All," Aug. 17.

In a globalized economy, Cardinal McCarrick said, "decisions made by governments and companies far from our borders can help or hurt the economic vitality of America’s urban centers and rural areas. Decisions made here can affect the ability of subsistence farmers and factory workers in Central America, Africa and Asia to earn a living and feed their families."

He praised the recent commitment made by World Trade Organization members "to reduce some agricultural supports that often assist those who need help the least and neglect those who need it most at home and abroad." He urged the United States and other countries to follow through on those commitments.

"For example," he said, "small farms in developing countries can be priced out of the market by protected or subsidized goods from developed countries, while small farms in the U.S. often receive much less government support than large agricultural entities."

He noted the growing concern of many U.S. workers who are "afraid of losing their jobs here to places where labor is plentiful and cheap."

"This can lead to resentment that turns workers into economic enemies. It can also arouse protectionist attitudes resulting in barriers to trade in richer countries that further jeopardize poor workers," he said.

"As a global church, we believe in building bridges and crossing boundaries in order to share both our needs and our gifts," he said. "Arguments that focus simply and exclusively on the likely domestic impact of trade are far too narrow. At the same time, U.S. workers and their families must be able to earn a decent living and, when necessary, adjust to the requirements of job changes and dislocation."

He said trade and economic policies "are not preordained laws of nature" but the work of people and governments.

"Their goal must be to promote the dignity of work and the rights of workers," he said.

"The moral measure of trade policy," he added, "is not simply the trade increased, the growth produced or the money made; rather, it is the lives lifted up, the decent jobs created and the families leaving poverty behind."

As an example of the church’s concerns for justice and human dignity in trade agreements he cited the consultation of representatives of the bishops’ conferences of the United States and Central America this summer over the recently signed U.S.-Central American Free Trade Agreement. The consultation led to a four-page joint statement by the participating bishops on principles and concerns that should be taken into account in developing and implementing such an agreement.

In all such U.S. negotiations on trade policies and agreements Cardinal McCarrick asked policymakers to "consider these key questions:

— "How do these agreements touch the lives and dignity of poor families and vulnerable workers in our country and the countries of our trading partners?

— "Do they restructure and reduce excessive agricultural supports so that vulnerable farmers in our country and developing countries have a fair chance at selling their crops and making a living? Do reforms target supports to small and medium-sized U.S. farms?

— "Do poor countries have sufficient flexibility to set trade policies that can protect sensitive industries, as developed countries have done in the past, so their farmers can produce sufficient food for their families, have income security and promote rural development?

— "How can trade negotiations combat corruption, increase accountability and ensure that the voices of the poor are heard?

— "Are there real and effective mechanisms in trade agreements that ensure fundamental labor and environmental standards and take into account the impact on migration?