Father Jeremy Lucas of the Episcopal Church of the Holy Cross in Battle Ground, WA, spoke in favor of workers rights at a March 8, 2013, rally in Vancouver, where ILWU Local 4 longshoremen have been locked out of their jobs at United Grain by its profitable Japan-based owner Mitsui. Father Jeremy spoke at the invitation of ILWU Local 4 President Cager Clabaugh about his personal history of growing up in a union family, delivering meals to workers on strike, and of the Biblical call for social justice. Photo by Jennifer Sargent.
Father Jeremy Lucas, a priest who serves at the Episcopal Church of the Holy Spirit in Battle Ground, Washington, spoke in favor of union rights at a rally to support ILWU Local 4 in early March. On the day Margaret Thatcher died, he penned the following post on his personal blog, saying, “Margaret Thatcher was the biggest enemy of organized labor and Union strength the UK has ever seen and only now are the Unions recovering from her assault, close to 30 years later.” Excerpts are below, or read the complete post at this link:
An Injury to One is an Injury to All
Posted on April 8, 2013 by fatherjeremyBy now you might be asking, “Why is this priest going on and on about Unions?, How does this have anything to do with God or Jesus?” The reason is quite simple, I believe in a God that values justice and stands with the poor. I believe in a savior that offers grace, and will not allow us to stand by enjoying that grace when others are being hurt. Neutrality is still an immoral act, and to stand with anyone other than workers and those who struggle to support their families is akin to dining with the rich man behind the gates while Lazarus starves and the dogs lick his wounds. (See Luke 16:19-31)
Jesus tells us what it means to struggle for justice in Matthew 25:35-36 “for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.” This is why I am writing about organized labor.
Right now there is a group of Longshoremen on the Port of Vancouver in Washington, represented by ILWU Local 4. They have been illegally locked out by United Grain Corporation since February 27th and are being denied good faith negotiations to end the lockout. They stand in 24 hour vigil outside the gates of their terminal. On Thursday I took them a bite to eat and stayed a couple of hours to listen to their stories, their anger and frustration, their hopes and dreams. All they wanted to do was to go back to work for a livable wage under safe working conditions. Members of ILWU Locals from up and down the Columbia river join them, holding signs with their logo saying “An injury to one is an injury to all” I cannot think of a more Christian statement of solidarity. I pray that this lockout ends soon but prayer without action is just empty words. We must pray for justice and work to see it through.
If you are still reading to this point I would like to invite you to support these workers. When I took them lunch it cost me $65 to feed 8 with Subway sandwiches. I am happy to take them lunch or dinner if you want to send some money. Mail a check or cash to The Episcopal Church of the Holy Spirit, P.O. Box 1117, Battle Ground, WA 98604. Make checks payable to; Vicars Discretionary Fund and memo it as ILWU. If you send cash include a note that it is for the ILWU. If you want to include a note, it would be wonderful for them to know how many people support them.