Subsidiarity and the Just Wage: Implications of Catholic Social Teaching for the Minimum-Wage Debate (Essay‪)‬

That Catholic social teaching is frequently cited in support of minimum-wage legislation (1) is not surprising because its unequivocal support for justice in wages is well known. What appears to be less clearly understood, though, is whether the totality of Catholic social teaching is unambiguous in its support of minimum-wage legislation, particularly at the level of the federal government. (2) The principle of subsidiarity (that a higher association should not interfere with the legitimate functioning of a subordinate association) (3) is a central component of Catholic social teaching. It seems to be particularly relevant, yet it does not appear to feature in just-wage debates. Changes to the U.S. minimum-wage law are frequently proposed as a way to achieve a just wage, (4) yet such proposals would violate the principle of subsidiarity if the goal of a just wage could be achieved through the actions of other organizations or groups subordinate to the federal government. The purpose of this article is to explore the theoretical implications of the principle of subsidiarity for the just-wage debate, and in particular, to examine whether it is legitimate to cite Catholic social teaching in support of federal minimum-wage legislation. Church teaching suggests that the principle of subsidiarity is indeed relevant to the issue of just wages. Pius XI's articulation of the principle of subsidiarity, in his encyclical letter Quadragesimo Anno, is located immediately after the discussion of the just wage in that encyclical (5) as part of a proposal for reforming the state to better achieve a just wage and the other objectives laid out in the encyclical. John Paul II, in Centesimus Annus, reemphasizes the importance of respect for the principle of subsidiarity in any state intervention in the economy. (6) Yet, to the best knowledge of this author, the principle of subsidiarity has never been applied to the issue of minimum-wage legislation.