Catholic teaching on labor

>>>Just in time for Labor Day.

Notable quotations from Catholic social teaching
on the theme of Labor and Capital
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But above all we must remember the priority of labor over capital: labor is the cause of production; capital, or the means of production, is its mere instrument or tool.

On Human Work (Donders), #12
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The means of production cannot become a separate property, called capital, as opposed to labor. They cannot be owned against labor or to exploit labor. They cannot be owned just for the sake of owning them. The only title to their ownership - whether private, public, or collective- is that they serve labor. This means that under suitable conditions the socialization of certain means of production could be acceptable.

On Human Work (Donders), #14
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Capital is both the earth's resources and all the means invented to help us to use -and to humanize- those resources. From the simplest tools to the most modern ones -machines, factories, laboratories, and computers- all are the result of human work.

On Human Work (Donders), #12
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It is right to struggle against an unjust economic system that does not uphold the priority of the human being over capital and land.

The Hundredth Year, #35
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The capital at the disposal of management is in part the product of the labor of those who have toiled in the company over the years, including currently employed workers. As a minimum, workers have a right to be informed in advance when such decisions are under consideration, a right to negotiate with management about possible alternatives, and a right to fair compensation and assistance with retraining and relocation expenses should these be necessary. Since even these minimal rights are jeopardized without collective negotiation, industrial cooperation requires a strong role for labor unions in our changing economy.

Economic Justice for All #303