General Synod Resolution

Affirming democratic principles in an emerging global economy
A Resolution adopted by General Synod XXI (1997)

Whereas, The United Church of Christ has spoken consistently for a biblically-based and just approach to economic relationships nationally and internationally; and

Whereas, national and international economic changes today affect the traditions and values of civil liberties and political democracy in the United States and around the world;

Therefore, Be It Resolved that the Twenty-first General Synod reaffirms the heritage of the United Church of Christ as an advocate for just, democratic, participatory and inclusive economic policies in both public and private sectors, including:

the responsibility of multinational corporations and international financial institutions to respect and hold themselves accountable to fundamental human rights, particularly with regard to child labor, employment of minorities, and wages that are adequate for local costs of living;

the responsibility of workers to organize for collective bargaining with employers regarding wages, benefits, and working conditions, and the responsibility of employers to respect not only worker rights but also workersÍ dignity, and to create and maintain a climate conducive to the workersÍ autonomous decision to organize;

the responsibility of collective bargaining units, such as unions, to respect their members and encourage their participation in further efforts to democratize, to respect and hold themselves accountable to fundamental human rights, and to reform and expand the labor movement domestically and abroad;

the responsibility of governments at all levels to foster a more democratic system by seeking balance among the rights and interests of citizens, workers, and corporations; and to support existing as well as to facilitate the creation of new participatory community institutions for developing jobs and caring for people;

the responsibility of businesses, governments, and communities to share responsibility for protecting the earthÍs environment;

the responsibility of businesses, governments, and communities to support affirmative action for all who have traditionally been denied rights in the workplace;

the responsibility of all citizens to be informed participants in the political process at all levels and to form community organizations and associations to express common interests and achieve common goals in such areas as economic planning, neighborhood development, public education, and health care;

the responsibility of religious bodies to provide moral and ethical guidance for individuals and society in ways that respect other religious traditions and resist authoritarian powers and principalities wherever they appear;

the responsibility of The United Church of Christ in covenant with all churches and church institutions to practice principles of economic democracy which foster justice and participation in its own ministries; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Twenty-first General Synod of The United Church of Christ commends this resolution to the churches, associations, conferences, instrumentalities, and institutions of The United Church of Christ as a basis for their own policies and their ministries of social witness.

Subject to the availability of funds.