In his most recent encyclical, Pope Benedict XVI reminds us that a nation's political and civic institutions are - or should be -- instruments for serving the common good. This claim resonates with the civic values of the American political tradition. The paramount role of those institutions is to promote and secure justice -- particularly for those who are the most vulnerable to abuse, as so many working people in our society are today. The U.S. Department of Labor is such an instrument, but despite the leadership of the highly capable and talented Secretary of Labor, Hilda Solis, the agency's ability to serve the working families of our country has been significantly hindered during the last several months.

What are your plans for Labor Day this year? Sept. 7 represents an annual "national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country," according to the U.S. Department of Labor's Web site. But for many Americans, Labor Day has become more about store sales and end-of-summer family picnics than a time to reflect on our appreciation for those who haul our trash, teach our children, erect and maintain our buildings and check us out at the grocery store. In the current economic crisis, the worst since the Great Depression, it is especially important that we return Labor Day to its original purpose and show our gratitude to the workers in our community. But we need to do more than that. We should also reflect upon the pain many working people are enduring due to joblessness, low pay and lack of dignity on the job, and we should get involved in efforts to alleviate that pain.

Low-wage workers are routinely denied proper overtime pay and are often paid less than the minimum wage, according to a new study based on a survey of workers in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. The study, the most comprehensive examination of wage-law violations in a decade, also found that 68 percent of the workers interviewed had experienced at least one pay-related violation in the previous work week. "We were all surprised by the high prevalence rate," said Ruth Milkman, one of the study's authors and a sociology professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, and the City University of New York. The study, to be released on Wednesday, was financed by the Ford, Joyce, Haynes and Russell Sage Foundations.

When I was growing up, it was almost part of the catechism that Catholics backed labor unions. We were taught that papal encyclicals on social and economic justice put us on the side of legitimate demands from workers. That centuries-old support received new clarity in June of 2009 when Catholic health workers and the U.S. Bishops delivered "Respecting the Just Rights of Workers."

In the spirit of the papal social encyclicals, this new document puts the American Church in support of union rights for the 21st century, which logically includes teachers in Catholic schools.

In his long-awaited new encyclical on the economy, Pope Benedict XVI appears set to call for new global "synergies" among labor unions in order to resist cuts in social safety nets, stronger efforts to combat world hunger, and greater protections for the "ecological health of the planet." Benedict's new social encyclical, titled Caritas in Veritate ("Charity in Truth"), will likely not be released until early July, but this morning's Corriere della Sera, Italy's leading daily newspaper, carried lengthy extracts.While the pope has consulted a number of experts, both economists and theologians, the final text of the encyclical appears to be very much his own work. According to the Corriere report, Benedict XVI has been working on the text for months, even correcting a draft during his mid-May trip to the Middle East.

A new U.S. bishops' document aimed at improving long-troubled labor relations in Catholic health care "is an enormous breakthrough," said Manhattan College religious studies professor Joseph J. Fahey, chairman of Catholic Scholars for Worker Justice.

"This is a milestone event," said union leader Gerald M. Shea, assistant for government affairs to AFL-CIO president John Sweeney.

"It's just stunning," said John Carr, secretary for justice, peace and human development at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. "I mean, you have the highest levels of the labor movement and the Catholic Church reaching an agreement when nobody else can, and it's a wonderful process."

The 16-page document, released June 22 by the USCCB Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, is titled "Respecting the Just Rights of Workers: Guidance and Options for Catholic Health Care and Unions."

The debate over the Employee Free Choice Act, or Card Check, which has raged for months, has taken an interesting turn - straight through church doors.

At its heart, the EFCA eases union organization rules and, in theory, clears a path for organized labor to eliminate a secret ballot in elections on whether to unionize. Republicans and business leaders say union leaders will use the open voting process to intimidate workers they know oppose unionization.

Joshua Garcia was at school when immigration agents arrested his undocumented parents.

"I didn't get to see my dad for six weeks and when I did he was in prison with people watching over him with guns," Garcia tearfully told an overflowing crowd at an immigration forum Saturday.

The event was held at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Church. The national "Familias Unidas" Immigration Forum has visited 23 cities in what organizers hope will become the first of many meetings between religious and political groups.

U.S. Rep Jared Polis asked Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill., chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus' Immigration Task Force, to bring the touring forum to Colorado.

The Obama administration is defending its claim that the $787 billion economic stimulus plan will save or create 3.5 million jobs before 2011 even while conceding that unemployment will likely continue to rise beyond its earlier predictions. A report Monday by the White House Council of Economic Advisers said the projections were based on conservative estimates and widely accepted assumptions. The 3.5 million job estimate remains valid, the report said, now that stimulus money is starting to pay for various projects throughout the nation. Many Republican officials and some prominent economists question the administration's optimism, and the White House report is the latest reply to such critics.

An effort to combat climate change and its effects on the poorest and most vulnerable people on the planet has attracted support from an unusual coalition of religious and retired military leaders. While they view the issue from different perspectives, be it protecting God's creation or bolstering national security, they all want climate-change legislation being negotiated on Capitol Hill to provide protections for the less fortunate. For one of Virginia's newest congressmen, Tom Perriello, D-5th, the legislation would ideally fill an obligation not only to the planet but also to its inhabitants. And in his district, he hopes combating climate change will translate into putting people back to work.