Matt Bernico is a labor activist and writes on topics pertaining to religion, social justice, and worker activism. You can hear more from Matt on his weekly podcast, The Magnificast.
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Loving Thy Neighbor Vs. Upgrading Your iPhone
An artisanal miner works at a cobalt mine-pit in Tulwizembe, Katanga province, Democratic Republic of Congo, November 25, 2015. Credit: Reuters/Kenny Katombe.
Christians need better analytical tools that can help us parse out the systems of global exploitation. These systems keep us from loving our neighbors from every nation, which is a central emphasis of the gospel. For example, investigating who is producing the products we buy and under what labor conditions they work can show us where our neighbors are hurting and how we’re implicated.
A Christian Case for Climate Reparations
A flood victim takes refuge along a road in a makeshift tent on August 29, following rains and floods during the monsoon season in Mehar, Pakistan. REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro
The causes of the flooding in Pakistan and climate-fueled catastrophes around the world are a direct result of the out-of-control consumption and production patterns of the global North — the nations in the northern hemisphere that share similar social and political distinctions like market-based economies.
Christians, It’s Time To Make Wage Thieves Weep
Cartoon of hands reaching for cash. Credit: Igor Sarozhkov / Alamy via Reuters.
Overall, according to the Economic Policy Institute, it’s estimated that employers steal around $15 billion in wages from workers’ paychecks each year. However, an important caveat here is that $15 billion is only what is reported. Wage theft is likely even more widespread, with many cases going unreported.
‘Creation Care’ Isn’t Enough. We Need Degrowth.
100 percent compostable Green recyclable coffee cups made with no plastic. Via Alamy.
Amid the avalanche of rogue supreme court decisions that have come out in the past few months, there’s one that has slid under the radar: West Virginia v. EPA.
I Paid Off My Loans. As a Christian, I Still Hope Biden Forgives Yours
People stand in a cage surrounded by signs with slogans that protest student debts. Image credit Reuters.
During my time in college and graduate school, I accumulated something like $50,000 in debt. So, you’d imagine I would be particularly excited about the prospect of Biden forgiving some of my debt. But I already paid off my student loans! Does that mean I rue others getting theirs forgiven? No! I am happy that other people may receive debt forgiveness even if it doesn’t apply to me.
Recent Union Wins Mean It’s Time for More Organized Religion
Amazon worker wearing a shirt that reads "Amazon Labor Union." Photo credit to Brendan McDermid. Image via Reuters.
Corporations, politicians, and other monied interests are often trying to find ways to derail organizing. The failed Amazon union drive back in April 2021 is certainly a notable example of this. Yet as labor scholar and activist Jane McAlevey points out, it’s also true that the reason the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union failed in Bessmer, Ala., was because they didn’t organize and incorporate support from local faith communities. McAlevey writes, “The media often played up the faith-based aspect of the campaign, with key staff of the effort being faith leaders or people of faith themselves. But there was a near-total absence of Bessemer or local Birmingham faith organizations on the endorsement list of the campaign.”
Wage Against the Machine
A McDonald's sign in in Tiegard, Ore., on May 4, 2021. Photo: Tada Images / Shutterstock.com
Rather than reflecting the truth of the motivations of both workers and employers, the "labor shortage" conversation is a tactic to adjust public perception and create the political will big corporations need to capture cheap labor –– it's propaganda at its most straightforward.
Christian Colleges Should Interact With World, Not Oppose It
Bob Jones University sign at entrance on Wade Hampton Boulevard, Greenville, S.C. Sept. 2007. Wikimedia Commons
Denny Burk, a professor at Boyce College, expressed an old strategy of Christian colleges to defend 'orthodoxy.'