Book Review: "Strangers in a Foreign Land: The Organizing of Catholic Latinos in the United States"

Given the current raging debate over immigration reform legislation, it is appropriate to review at this time a recently published book on Latino immigrants in the U.S. (Lexington Press, 2007). The book is by Fr. George E. Schultze, S.J.--don't let the name fool you: he's Latino himself through his mother. The back cover has an endorsement by Fr. Joseph Fessio, S.J., of Ave Maria University and Ignatius Press reknown. So you can drop the anti-Jesuit bias in this case. Fr. Schultze is a "labor priest." He is passionate about the need for labor unions to ensure a living wage for workers. He is also, as it should be, a good Catholic priest who stands with the magisterium when it comes to being pro-life and in favor of traditional marriage between one man and one woman.

The thesis of the book is that the current American labor movement has marginalized itself by unnecessarily and obtusely tying itself to the pro-abortion, pro-gay agenda of liberal activists. Schultze points out how this alliance with openly anti-Catholic, anti-life, and anti-marriage forces makes it unlikely that unions will be able to organize Hispanic workers who are, for the most part, socially conservative on these cultural issues. Schultze is, in my view, absolutely correct, as Fr. Fessio agrees, in prophetically warning the labor movement of its grand error. The problem is deep because it cannot be reduced to one of mere tactics or strategies. Many top leaders in the American labor movement are indeed pro-abortion and pro-gay by conviction. As someone who has very little familiarity with union affairs, I was amazed at the extent to which AFL-CIO president John Sweeney is in lockstep with the gay agenda (p. 126). I wonder how many union members realize what are the convictions and the agenda of their top leadership.

As someone who does not come from a union background, I am at a disadvantage in reviewing this book. So my observations and reactions are really those of an outsider to the union movement. Yet, I think my reactions are still worth airing, given that most Americans are also outsiders to the union movement. While agreeing with Fr. Schultze's critique of the left-wing cultural bias of the labor movement today, I also share a different perspective from the good Father when it comes to unionism. Maybe, the Catholic response should not be so much to struggle to wean the unions from their new culturally liberal allies. Maybe, the Catholic response should rather be to recognize that the union model itself is out of date in contemporary American society, especially when it comes to Latino immigrants. My personal view is that Latinos should focus on education and not on unionism as the way to improve their own lot and that of their children. The emphasis on education means that as Catholics we should focus on what I think is the long overdue reform that will revolutionize the lives of all the working poor, whether Latino or non-Hispanic: school vouchers for the poor.

I would prefer to see Catholic activism focused on school vouchers for the poor because education is the key to advancement in today's society. In my personal opinion, unionism may very well be passing into social irrelevance in a society where education is key. Yes, the Church teaches that workers have the right to organize unions. But does that teaching mean that we are always tied to the judgment that unions are always the way for the working poor to advance everywhere at all times in history? I think not. My own prudential judgment is that Catholic activism for the working poor would do better to focus on school vouchers, rather than on trying to reform declining unions whose leadership. in many cases, is so hostile by conviction to the culture of its own workers, whether Latino or not.