"There are some daunting challenges to how we live the 'Gospel of work,' and how we respect the dignity of work and the rights of workers today," according to the annual Labor Day statement issued by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

"Work, Pope John Paul II and Catholic Teaching" refers to the late pope's encyclicals on work, "Laborem Exercens" and "Centesimus Annus," and the U.S. bishops' 1996 document, "A Catholic Framework for Economic Life."

It said Catholics should use the Labor Day holiday to "pause and reflect on the meaning of work, the contributions of workers and the important role of the labor movement in our economy and nation."

"To move forward, our nation needs a strong and growing economy, strong and productive businesses and industries, and a strong and united labor movement," said the statement, issued by Bishop Nicholas A. DiMarzio of Brooklyn, N.Y., chairman of the U.S. bishops' Committee on Domestic Policy. "In Catholic teaching, it is up to workers to choose how they wish to be represented in the workplace and they should be able to make these decisions freely and without reprisal."

The statement, dated Sept. 5, was released Aug. 25 in Washington.

Among the challenges U.S. workers and their families face is that while many are "reaping the rewards" in the U.S. economy, "others can be left behind, hungry, homeless or poor, often struggling with rent or (with) paying for decent health insurance," the statement said.

"Families in the middle can be one lost job, one major illness, one unanticipated setback away from serious economic trouble," it added. "Too many families find it difficult to reconcile the demands of work, the duties of family life and the obligations of community and spiritual life."

In the first Labor Day statement since Pope John Paul's death, "it seems a good time to recall the constant teaching and courageous leadership of our beloved pope on work and the rights of workers," the statement said. "For three decades, he insisted work is not a burden, but 'expresses the human vocation to service and solidarity.'"

Bishop DiMarzio added that the pope "taught that workers have 'the right to establish professional associations,' and that trade unions have 'the church's defense and approval.' According to Pope John Paul II, unions have a role, 'not only in negotiating contracts, but also as 'places' where workers can express themselves. They serve the development of an authentic culture of work and help workers to share in a fully human way in the life of their place of employment.' He said unions are an 'indispensable element of social life, especially in modern industrial societies.'"

But Bishop DiMarzio lamented that "sadly the American labor movement seems bitterly divided over priorities, personalities and how to move forward," an apparent reference to the defection of some large unions from the AFL-CIO, the principal U.S. labor federation for the past 50 years.

He noted other "signs of the times" as "troubling ... within economic and public life":

-- "There is a growing conflict in some local communities, and on Wall Street, about the obligations of large retailers and major employers to their workers in the U.S. and around the world, and the communities they serve."

-- "The minimum wage, last raised in 1997, leaves a full-time worker with two children below the poverty level, while the gap between executive and worker compensation continues to widen dramatically."

-- "In a time of more retirees and longer life spans, discussion about retirement -- what it means and who will pay for it -- begins with a polarized debate about Social Security, but also extends to pensions, savings and taxes."

-- "The reality that many U.S. workers are immigrants too often leads to a search for scapegoats rather than practical responses that recognize both the humanity and contributions of these newcomers to our economy."

"On this Labor Day," Bishop DiMarzio said, "all of us are called to look at the economy from the 'bottom up': how our economic choices -- i.e., work, investments, spending -- affect 'the least of these' -- poor families, vulnerable workers and those left behind."

Editor's note: The full text of the annual Labor Day statement issued by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops can be seen at www.usccb.org.