Cemetery-Labor Piece Is Called ‘Distorted’

Once again, it is necessary to set the record straight with respect to Harry Bernstein’s latest attempt, “Bitter Tales of Two Struggles by Workers” (Oct. 29), to cast me and the Los Angeles archdiocese as the villain in the issue involving the Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers Union’s attempts to serve as bargaining agent for grounds workers in our Catholic cemeteries. Bernstein keeps confusing his opinions with facts.

Since the inception of this issue, my commitment--rooted in Catholic social teachings--has been to insist upon the rights of workers to decide who will represent them and that this decision must be made in the privacy of a secret ballot without harassment.

Consistent with my commitment to the rights of the workers to determine whether or not they wish to be represented by a union, and if so, which one, I agreed to the court’s wishes. The issue is now settled, once again by an overwhelming vote from the workers.

Throughout all of this, Bernstein seems to have trouble understanding my role as employer and spiritual leader of several thousand employees--the cemetery workers included--and why I would visit them personally or work to improve their wages, benefits and working conditions.

Immediately after being named Los Angeles archbishop, I began a methodical review of wages and benefits as a prelude to establishing a policy of improving both for all archdiocesan employees. This policy continues today, even though Bernstein seems to find fault with wage and benefit improvements given to cemetery workers, failing to recognize that such wage and benefit increases were part of packages applied to all employees of the archdiocese. Bernstein sees it as an “anti-union” strategy. That simply is not true.

As for my visits with cemetery workers during the time of the union issue, Bernstein seems not to understand that, as spiritual leader, I visit every aspect of the archdiocese on a regular basis, including our cemeteries.

With or without a union organizing effort, I would have visited and will continue to visit our fine, dedicated staffs at the cemeteries. In light of what has transpired with the workers since June, 1988, I continue to find it puzzling and disturbing that Bernstein continues to write distortions.

CARDINAL ROGER MAHONY

Archbishop of Los Angeles