Happy Labor Day

“If, as we believe and as we have resolved on numerous occasions, unionization is an indispensable means of securing justice for workers in our society, then our dedication to tzedakah requires that we not set the “fair market value” of labor according to the wage level for non-union workers. On the contrary: it is the non-union wage rate that qualifies for the label ona’ah, for that rate depresses the market, lowering the wages and the standard of living that workers would otherwise achieve. Justice rather demands that we measure the “fair market price” for labor according to the accepted cost for union labor in a particular locale. It would be unjust and injurious to all workers were we to set the standard for “fair wages” according to lower, non-union scale.” -CCAR responsa 5761.4