Father Edward Keller C.S.C.

Courtesy of the University of Notre Dame Archives

Right-To-Work Laws Just and Beneficial

Right-To-Work Laws: Unjust and Harmful

Why Our DACCW Opposes 'Right-To-Work' Law

The U.S. labor movement, which united in 1955 when the American Federation of Labor (AFL) and the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) merged, was at about the historical peak of its power when these two priests debated right-to-work laws (RTW) in 1957. RTW organizations originated during World War II, and subsequently gained some impressive victories, especially in the South and other low-unionized states. The opinions of Fathers Edward A. Keller C.S.C. and Jerome L. Toner O.S.B. were clear before these articles appeared. Toner, who studied with Monsignor John A. Ryan, had advocated the closed shop in 1942. Keller had been espousing what he called "voluntary unionism" since the early 1950s, publishing a book under the same in 1956. Keller, though, was in the decided minority among Catholics, clerical or lay. In 1958, the year following the debate, RTW referendums failed in five of six states.

Question

As you read these documents, reflect on the following questions:

1. How did the assumptions of Keller and Toner differ?

2. Why, according to the Michigan Catholic, should Catholics oppose RTW laws?