Religion & Law

In response to the news of the labor dispute between a teacher?s union and the Scranton diocese, one of the students in my Catholic Perspectives on American Law seminar asked this: 

Is the Church's position on Labor inconsistent?  Does the Church expect companies/American industry to do what it will not (i.e. recognize and negotiate with organized labor)?  Is it possible that, in the Church's eyes, what is good for American workers may not, in some cases, be consistent with Church doctrine?

Do we have enough facts to judge the situation in Scranton?  In addition to questions about the facts on the ground in Scranton, I have several others of a more general nature. 

Does the ?right? of employees to organize depend, at least partly, on the nature of the employer?s activity?  In other words, does it matter whether the employer is a huge for-profit corporation where no personal relationships between upper management and lowly workers are possible; a small for-profit company, a public school district, a police or fire department, a non-profit agency large or small, or a religious organization, including a religious school?  Is there a difference between being employed by an entity that simply wants your labor for 40 hours a week vs. one that expects you to participate in its life?

Is the right to unionize an absolute right in the eyes of the Church?  Or, is the employee?s right a right to participate in decisions, including decisions at work, that effect the worker?s well being. (Scranton does have an Employee Council).  Can a union in any setting ? but especially in a setting like a Church ? become so belligerent in its attitude and demands and so antithetical to the work of the employer that the employer has a legitimate right to refuse further dealings with the union?

What do others more knowledgeable than I think?