Contents:
The 25th NACST Convention: Overview
The 25th NACST Convention: President Rita Schwartz - The State of the Union 2003
The 25th NACST Convention: Keynote Address
The 25th NACST Convention: Report of Locals
The 25th NACST Convention: NACST Video in Production
The 25th NACST Convention: NACST History
The 25th NACST Convention: Msgr. George Higgins Lifetime Achievement Award
The 25th NACST Convention: After the Convention
The Second Annual John J. Reilly Scholarship Award
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The 25th NACST Convention: Overview The 25th NACST Convention/Conference was held October 10-12, 2003 in New York. Forty-seven union leaders from fifteen NACST affiliates served as delegates to the Convention. Keynote Speaker Professor David Gregory, St. John's University School of Law, addressed the delegates on "The Church and Catholic Social Teaching: The Right to Unionize ." Convention business sessions included the Report of Locals, the Presidents' State of the Union address, a report on the production of a NACST video, announcement of the George Higgins Lifetime Achievement Award to Bruno J. Scuglia, and a review of twenty-five years of NACST.

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The 25th NACST Convention: Keynote Address The Church and Catholic Social Teaching: The Right to Unionize David Gregory, M.B.A., LL.M., J.S.D Professor of Law, St. John's University School of Law Since 1980, Professor Gregory has written extensively on Catholic labor law theory and practice. To obtain information about published articles and Catholic labor theory contact gregoryd@stjohns.edu.  The keynote address challenged delegates to face local bishops' cries of poverty in dealing justly with Catholic school teachers.  Professor Gregory began his remarks with a reference to General Motors in Detroit dealing with the UAW during the late 1970's.  He characterized the corporation's attitude as one of  "millions for defense, nothing for settlement," spending money on lawyers not on workers.  He associated the current American hierarchy with the same attitude. According to Professor Gregory, the beauty of the Catholic Church is that we are an organism, not an organ.  Although hierarchic power is exercised as if we were an organ, i.e. from the top down, in fact, we, at the bottom of the hierarchic chain, are the Church performing the considerable tasks of evangelization and making Catholic social teaching a reality in the world. During the first half of the last century, the Church was blessed with individuals notable for their actions on behalf of social justice, from Dorothy Day to Jacques Maritain.  Among those working for justice in the American Church was a generation of labor priests.  Professor Gregory challenged delegates to identify and foster labor priests today who will be able to pick up the standard of men such as Msgr. George Higgins. Professor Gregory emphasized the valuable role of public relations in the work of labor leaders today.  Organized labor seems to have marginalized public relations efforts, as leaders strive to hold on to labor rights gained throughout the twentieth century.  The keynote address challenged NACST affiliate leaders to become adept at using the media to promote Catholic social teaching and our positions in the American Church. Professor Gregory stated that we in the American Catholic labor movement have "more than good cause for cautious optimism."  Because we continue our work to make the Church's social justice teaching a reality in today's world, we will undoubtedly succeed in bring the Church's message to new generations.

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The 25th NACST Convention:Report of Locals ACT - members staged a 10 day strike in September 2003.  During negotiations the Archdiocese of Philadelphia had asked the teachers to take a wage freeze, to contribute more to medical insurance premiums and out-of-pocket expenses, and the elimination of early retirement incentives, among other issues.  The 3-year contract ratified after the strike saw salary increases of $1000, $1300, and $1500 with some increases in out-of-pocket medical expenses, retention of the early retirement incentive and the continuation of "free lunches."  School days missed because of the strike will be made up throughout the year and teachers will receive full pay for them. BATA - new president Lew Pedi reported that the Archdiocese of Boston intends to "spin-off" all the high schools from the current system, making each school an independent entity.  The move continues the re-organization of Archdiocesan holdings following the recent scandal.  CHALTA - president Michael DeSantis reported that the union lost another school at the beginning of the current year when the school opened as an independent high school.  The Cleveland Diocese threatened to close the school because of financial problems.  A group of local supporters asked the bishop for the opportunity to keep the school open as an independent entity.  The bishop agreed. DETA - President Sue Manzella reported that the Diocese of Buffalo has now started requiring anyone who works with children in the diocese to sign a document listing items for which such workers may be terminated.  DETA contacted the bishop, assistant Superintendent of Schools, and all principals of DETA schools with concerns about the items and plans to meet with the officials to negotiate such items. GHCEA - members ratified a new 3-year contract following a collaboration model of negotiations.  The resulting agreement has salary increases of 3% to 7% plus step, with an average of 5% across the board.  This is the highest increase in salaries and stipends in the history of the union. SLATA - the union will continue to represent teachers at a recently "spun off" school, Cardinal Ritter Prep.  NACST officers met with new SLATA President Pat Spellman and other local union officials to discuss representation issues for all SLATA schools.

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The 25th NACST Convention: from the President STATE OF THE UNION 2003  NACST at 25      The National Association and its affiliates have made it through another year and have done well for themselves.      Negotiations have been successfully completed for the high school teachers in Youngstown, at Bishop Hoban High School, among others, in Wilkes Barre, elementary teachers in Buffalo, teachers at St. John Vianney High School in Holmdel, NJ, and teachers in the 22 high schools of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. Congratulations to the members of the St. Denis and St. Rose Teachers Associations on the ratification of their first negotiated contracts, the first, also, in the Diocese of Trenton.      Organizing saw us working with elementary teachers in Harrisburg, PA, Toms River, NJ and St. Louis, MO; elementary and high school teachers in the Diocese of Syracuse, NY. Our exhibit was on display at booths in St. Louis, Cincinnati, Toledo and Indianapolis.      In two areas, New York State and St. Louis, NACST is working to establish partnerships with other labor unions, New York State United Teachers and the Carpenters District Council of Greater St. Louis.       Our Leadership Conference over Presidents' Day Weekend was a great success as was our presenter, NACST counsel, Bruce Endy. Interestingly enough, a number of us had an additional few days away when the Presidents' Day blizzard closed airports and train stations and left us stranded.      Looking ahead to 2004, we hope that the new teacher organizations mentioned above will be negotiating their first contracts. Negotiations are also on the agenda for the elementary teachers in Youngstown and Buffalo, the high school teachers in St. Louis and Boston and teacher aides at St. Rose in Belmar, NJ, the first Catholic school contract, by the way, for teacher aides. The issues of salary, medical premiums and spin-offs will be of major importance as settlements are worked out.      This year, we celebrate our 25th Anniversary as an organization.  Much has been accomplished since a small group of Catholic teacher leaders established a national union exclusively for elementary and secondary  teachers employed in Catholic schools.      I am very confident as we begin our next quarter century that the National Association of Catholic School Teachers will grow larger as we work to span the country. We will continue to assist fledgling groups become empowered as we become an even more visible and powerful voice for Catholic school teachers.

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The 25th NACST Convention: NACST Video in Production Following delegate discussions with the Executive Committee at the 2002 New Orleans Convention, NACST Officers have contracted with independent producer Ken Walters to develop and produce a video about the organization.  The video's objectives are to increase membership in Catholic teacher unions, to increase current members' involvement in NACST, to educate new and current members about benefits of NACST affiliation and tohighlight the organization's successes. Raw footage of the project was presented to convention delegates for comments.  The producer was in attendance at the convention and interviewed numerous delegates for inclusion in the video. Production is expected to continue through the end of the current year, with the video available for distribution by mid 2004.

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The 25th NACST Convention: Msgr. George Higgins Lifetime Achievement Award      The Executive Committee announced that former NACST President Bruno J. Scuglia is the recipient of the Higgins Labor Award.  Scuglia served as NACST president from 1993 through 1995.      Scuglia began his union career on the Executive Board of the Pittsburgh Federation of Diocesan Teachers in 1969.  He served as president of the Pittsburgh local for more than twenty years beginning in 1973.      Scuglia was not present at the convention but received the award when the NACST Executive Committee met in Pittsburgh in December 2003.

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The 25th NACST Convention: The History of NACST The National Association of Catholic School Teachers became a formal organization in November 1978. Catholic school teacher unions began forming in the mid-1960's.  The Association of Catholic Teachers in Philadelphia formed and contacted the AFL-CIO.  ACT became the first Catholic teacher union in organized labor, affiliating with the American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO. Throughout the 1970's Catholic teacher unions continued to form in individual dioceses.  Contact among the unions was informal  when union leaders from six dioceses decided to unite in order to better represent teachers to the American hierarchy.  Unions in Philadelphia, Youngstown, Pittsburgh, Los Angeles, Brooklyn, and New York formed NACST. When the AFT took an anti-voucher position, Catholic unions previously associated with AFT disaffiliated [except for Brooklyn & New York]. Since 1978 Catholic teacher unions have continued to form in dioceses and individual schools.  Many have formed with the counsel of the National and have affiliated with NACST. At 25 years, NACST has twenty-four affiliated locals from Boston to St. Louis, representing more than five thousand Catholic school teachers. NACST has grown and developed under the leadership of three presidents: John Reilly of Philadelphia, Bruno Scuglia of Pittsburgh; and, current president, Rita Schwartz of Philadelphia.

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The 25th NACST Convention: Delegate's Comments from a first time delegate      I attended my first convention this year and was very impressed. Although Harrisburg, Pa is still a fledgling association, it gave me a lot of insight and motivation to keep “fighting the good fight!”      It is so amazing to me that many of you have been at this for 25 years and the injustices that have been dealt with are just so aggravating, to say the least. I often wonder how Mother Seton and John Neumann would feel if they were still alive today. Their dreams for Catholic Education certainly have taken a turn from their inspiration and direction, thanks to the hands of the “men in black.” But, there are more lay teachers now than clergy or religious and we will continue to be strong as our nation really needs our Catholic schools today more than ever.      So, thanks for ALL each of you do and for helping us rookies grow and bloom.  Debbie Kissinger  St Theresa Educators Association  Harrisburg, PA

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September 2003
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