A Just Job Change

What is a Just Job?

            Is a just job one that is given to you out of the goodness of the employer’s heart? Or, might it be a job that is mandated by government because you need work? Maybe it’s a job given to you by government, simply because you reside in the United States.

            Is that what you think?

            Most Americans, whether they are Christians or not, define themselves the work they do, the company they work for, and the amount of money they make. Who can blame them? It’s expensive to live in these United States. And most people believe that the primary injustice comes from the fact that so many people (the lucky ones, the ones with power, pull, or connections) get more than their fair share.

            Justice has nothing to do with fairness. And just jobs are not handed out. They’re not even apportioned based upon employers’ wishes. Just jobs are created by individuals, within (or outside) companies, in order to satisfy the needs of the growing economy.

            According to the US Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) pastoral letter Economic Justice for All, “All people have a right to participate in the economic life of society. Basic justice demands that people be assured a minimum level of participation in the economy. It is wrong for a person or a group to be excluded unfairly or to be unable to participate or contribute to the economy. For example, people who are both able and willing, but cannot get a job are deprived of the participation that is so vital to human development. For, it is through employment that most individuals and families meet their material needs, exercise their talents, and have an opportunity to contribute to the larger community. Such participation has a special significance in our tradition because we believe that it is a means by which we join in carrying forward God's creative activity.”

We heartily agree. The key words in their statement are: participate, assured, and contribute.

Let’s develop this further. Participation implies choice. A person is not participating when he/she is given a job or forced to take one. An employer is not voluntarily participating either if they are forced by law to make a job. Assurance does not mean that as soon as a person shows up to do work they are automatically given employment. It means that opportunities to do suitable work, work that meets the physical, mental, and economic needs of an individual must be available if an economy is to be considered just. And the third word, contribute is the key.

What does it mean to contribute to the economy?

Immediately one thinks of charity, as in hand out or donation. But the Latin root of the word charity is charitas, love. Love is an active giving of oneself to that which one loves.

What has love got to do with work?

Maybe everything.