In The News
Labor in the Pulpits returns in good health
Scale back. Focus. Truly deliver on Labor in the Pulpits.
That was the decision this year by the Milwaukee Area Labor Council. It is elevating its direct contact with faith groups through a luncheon Sept. 29 while simultaneously restructuring its annual Labor Day pulpits initiative (Sept. 4-7) to echo religious teachings about the central need for health care.
The right of every individual to adequate health care flows from the sanctity of human life.
-- Imam Sa’dullah Khan
Last year, the topics and the speakers were stretched too thin and all congregations were not successfully served, as labor council leaders have acknowledged. So while they are restructuring the role of the Faith Community for Worker Justice, they are urging all faiths to focus a little time over Labor Day -- not on one particular health care reform proposal but on the underlying philosophy about health care that actually meets at the center of all major religious texts and teachings.
Every person has a fundamental human right to quality health care – affordable, accessible and compassionate.
-- Catholic Healthcare Perspective
This year the council is emphasizing those teachings and offering its limited number of speakers for Labor in the Pulpits, but encouraging any congregation that wants to be involved to examine and speak up on the beliefs on their faith. If you need a speaker, or if you want to share religious teachings with your congregation, contact Jay Reinke at (414) 771-7828 or email jayaflcio@sbcglobal.net.
Health is not a luxury nor should it be the sole possession of a privileged few . . . By “pricing out” a portion of this country’s population from health care coverage, we mock the image of God.
-- Rabbi Alexander Schindler, Union of American Hebrew Congregations.
Along with helping with speakers and with providing some truly inspiring essays, Reinke will also put together a master list of participating religious communities to spread the word before the Labor Day weekend.
Meanwhile, the secretary-treasurer and chief operating office of the council, Sheila Cochran, has been promoting an active direct relationship between issues of labor and issues of faith. Tuesday, Sept. 29, will mark the launch of this effort through a luncheon at a downtown hotel.
Food, fellowship and good conversation will be the centerpiece from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Milwaukee’s Hilton Hotel. A small cost will attach as the MALC serves as host for this first Religion and Labor Luncheon.
Leading faith and labor leaders will discuss the intersection of needs and concerns. Cochran has invited a number of leading ministers from several faiths to plan the event and program. For more information or to RSVP, call the council at (414)771-7070 or email sheila@milwaukeelabor.org.