Why Is Canisius College Trustee Denny Strigl Ignoring Catholic Teachings On Workers Rights?
March 1, 2005 Rev. Vincent M. Cooke, S.J. Canisius College 2001 Main St. Buffalo, N.Y. 14208 Dear President Cooke: We are writing to you about a matter that we believe should be of concern to all members of the Canisius College community. As you know, the Catholic Church has long been one of the leading defenders of workers’ rights—to organize and join unions and engage in collective bargaining. As the Second Vatican Council’s Pastoral Constitution of the Church in the Modern World declared in 1965: “Among the basic rights of the human person must be counted the right of freely founding labor unions. These unions should be truly able to represent the workers and to contribute to the proper arrangement of economic life. Another such right is that of taking part freely in the activity of these unions without fear of reprisal.” Unfortunately, the Board of Trustees of the college currently includes a corporate CEO, Mr. Dennis Strigl, whose company, Verizon Wireless (VZW), has repeatedly in
