May 09, 2011
“Stand with us!” – AFL-CIO
President Richard Trumka
“St. John’s Law School has one of the finest
labor law programs in the country.” – New York State AFL-CIO
President Denis Hughes
On March 18-19, 2011, the Law School’s
Center for Labor and Employment Law hosted "The Theology of
Work and the Dignity of Workers" conference. The event brought
together a diverse, distinguished group of religious and union
leaders, as well as professionals and scholars in the field of
labor and employment relations, to address various questions at the
intersection of theology and work. Helping set the stage for the
robust dialogue were current events, including the struggle over
collective bargaining rights for public employees in Wisconsin,
diminishing union density in the private sector and the 100th
anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire in Lower
Manhattan.
Photo Galleries
Opening the conference,
David L. Gregory, the Center’s Executive Director and the
Dorothy Day Professor of Law at St. John’s, and Bernie Ricke,
President of UAW Local 600, challenged participants to “grow power
[in order] to grow justice.” Participants rose to the challenge
during dynamic panel discussions, which covered such topics as:
- Employers, Employees, Unions - Restoring the Common Good
- Recent Supreme Court Decisions and their Likely Adverse Impact
on Employment Arbitration
- Religion in a Pluralistic Workplace - Striking the Appropriate
Balance
- Interfaith Initiatives re the Dignity of Work and Workers
- Catholic Social Teaching
- The Intersection of Labor/Civil/Human Rights
- Ameliorating the Broken Employment Relationship
Panelist Jerry Laricchiuta, President of CSEA Local 830,
recalled a time in this country’s history when Americans were proud
to be union members, in contrast to today, when union membership is
sometimes seen as unpatriotic. Judy Scott, General Counsel for the
SEIU, stressed the importance of human rights in the labor and
employment law arena and encouraged ordinary citizens to get in the
streets and demand full democracy.
A highlight of the conference was a panel moderated by Karen
Fernbach ‘77, Acting Regional Director of the NLRB, commemorating
the Triangle Shirtwaist Company fire on March 25, 1911. The panel
was presented in conjunction with St. John’s University, with
introductory remarks by University Provost Dr. Julia A. Upton, RSM.
One of the deadliest workplace disasters in New York City’s
history, the fire claimed the lives of 146 employees, mostly young
immigrant women. Hon. Serphin R. Maltese, a former New York
Senator, and his brother, Vincent Maltese, offered some political
and socioeconomic context for the horrific factory conditions
endured by their grandmother and two aunts, who died in the blaze.
After Christina Papadopoulos ’12 gave an in-depth analysis of the
trial following the fire, Lee A. Ielpi, President of the September
11th Families’ Association and Tribute WTC Visitor Center, compared
the tragedy to the 9/11 terrorist attacks, which took the life of
his son.
At the evening reception, Dean
Michael A. Simons commended Professor Gregory for his
unwavering dedication to St. John’s law students. Lauding the
AFL-CIO’s New York City Central Labor Council and IUOE Local 30 for
inaugurating two new scholarship and employment opportunities, Dean
Simons said: “I urge the leading labor unions to emulate this
investment and provide similar support in educating the next
generation of labor union lawyers and leaders.” Professor Gregory
then announced this year’s scholarship winners:
- Vanessa Delaney ’12 - Coca-Cola Refreshments (CCR) Scholar for
Excellence in Labor and Employment Law
- Christina Papadopoulos ’12 - Inaugural Local 30 Operating
Engineers Labor and Employment Scholarship
- Albina Khaimova ’12 - Inaugural New York City Central Labor
Council Scholarship
- Danielle Clout ’13 and Michel Harary ’13 - Anthony L. Pedretti
Scholars and Junior Fellows of the Center for Labor and Employment
Law
- Amanda Jaret ’13 - John Boyd Scholar and a Junior Fellow of the
Center for Labor and Employment Law
The evening concluded with a dynamic keynote address by AFL-CIO
President Richard Trumka, who brought the crowd to its feet with a
rousing “Stand with us!” call for solidarity and social justice.
Introducing Trumka, New York State AFL-CIO President Denis Hughes
unequivocally stated: “St. John’s Law School has one of the finest
labor law programs in the country.”
The nexus of work and life was explored by Saturday morning’s
featured panel, “A Conversation with Catholic Bishops and Scholars
Regarding the Theology of Work and the Dignity of Workers.” Edward
Cardinal Egan, Archbishop Emeritus of the Archdiocese of New York,
delivered the Conference’s Distinguished Lecture. His Eminence
reminded the audience that human life is precious and workers are
among the most precious and unique of God’s creatures. “There is a
dignity to all workers that we must respect,” he said, concluding
that “labor unions are an essential element of society, and are not
to be merely tolerated.” Cardinal Egan dazzled the audience in a
wide ranging dialogue, confirming Professor Gregory’s comment that
the Cardinal was the quintessential “lawyer’s lawyer” with a
doctorate in canon law summa cum laude from the Pontifical
Gregorian University in Rome and many years of service as the chief
judge of the highest court in the Catholic Church. In his remarks
on Michael Harrington, luncheon speaker Samuel Estreicher, the
Dwight D. Opperman Professor of Law and Director of the Center for
Labor and Employment Law at New York University School of Law,
emphasized that one of a union’s many roles is to expand wages
beyond the market level.
Hon. Wilma Liebman, Chairman of the NLRB, moderated the
conference’s highly anticipated final plenary panel, “The Future of
Labor.” Cardinal Egan encouraged lawyers to debate with distinction
and accuracy as “great debate and the resolution of our differences
will lead us to how we should treat workers.” These themes
resonated throughout the panel session, which included Yale Law
Professor Michael Fischl, University of Michigan Dean Emeritus
Theodore St. Antoine, Arkansas Law Dean Cynthia Nance, and St.
John’s Law Professor Larry Joseph.
At the close of the conference, Melissa Schneer ‘12, President of
the Law School’s Labor Relations and Employment Law Society,
presented the Society’s inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award to
Gene Orza ‘73, Chief Operating Officer of the Major League Baseball
Players Association. The award memorialized his personal commitment
to the Law School. “Gene Orza has been an inspirational lawyer and
a wonderful alumnus for almost 40 years,” noted Professor Gregory.
“He is a classic rhetorician, and a gifted raconteur. As a law
student, Gene was a co-founder of our Labor Relations and
Employment Law Society. No one is more deserving.” The Conference
closed with Cardinal Egan and more than a dozen Bishops and priests
offering the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass in St. John’s St. Thomas
More Church.