June 2002 [current]
Contents:
from the President: Union Busting
Msgr. Higgins Remembered
George Higgins: Assured a Place in Chruch History
Contract Settled - Negotiations Ongoing
NACST Correspondence with USCCB
The National Value of Catholic Schools
John J. Reilly Memorial Scholarship Recipients
From the Editor: Been There...
Catholic School Teachers: Why Unionize? - How Can We Unionize?
Previous Issues
My recent trip to Boston came about when the Archdiocese began making noises about "spinning off" the high schools, making them "independent," no longer protected by the union contract. Keep in mind that the diocesan proposal was presented to the Boston Archdiocesan Teachers Association prior to the first meeting of a committee formed to study the feasibility of such a "spin off." It should not surprise you to know that the first two schools targeted by the Archdiocese are not only the largest but they also have the most union members. Can we say the words "union busting, boys and girls?"
You would think that the Archdiocese of Boston would have matters of greater significance with which to deal at the moment; yet, nothing seems more important than to get out from under the Union contract, and they appear to be making it up as they go along.
The members of BATA in attendance at the May 8th meeting (almost 100 strong) were very clear in their message to the Archdiocese and were busily working on getting that message disseminated as I left for Logan Airport.
From Boston to Belmar - where a group of elementary teachers at St. Rose Grammar School have been more than patiently working throughout the school year to negotiate their first labor contract. The Pastor writes his latest letter to parents telling them how many times the negotiating teams have met (13) and he lists all the items that have been agreed to. He then notes what is still open. "In addition, we have been and continue to be, in active discussions over topics such as benefits and leaves of absence, grievance procedures, management rights, preparation time, hiring of religious as teachers and assignments." He left out three other extremely important areas: salary, union security and protection from harassment and preferential treatment. Reading this rather full list of still unresolved issues, you may well wonder just what exactly has been agreed to over seven frustrating months.
The Pastor and his lawyer seem determined not to come to agreement on a contract because their position on the final step in the grievance procedure hasn't moved a millimeter since October. They want the Pastor's decision to be final and binding on everything except the suspension and termination of a tenured teacher. That goes to the bishop. This is the same stand taken by the Pastor of St. Denis during negotiations which are now approaching two years and counting. The St. Denis Teachers Association lawsuit charging bad faith bargaining and unfair labor practices is still awaiting a court date.
Union busting is union busting, whether it is attempted on long-organized groups like BATA or on fledgling organizations like the St. Denis and St. Rose Teachers Associations. It is in direct contradiction to all the social justice pronouncements of our Church. It is one of the primary reasons there is a National Association of Catholic School Teachers.
I look forward to seeing many more members of NACST as I am invited to speak at meetings and work with our affiliates across the country. Let's hope we will be meeting to celebrate a union election victory or a successful negotiations, not to arm ourselves for a battle to keep the union and the union's hard-won benefits intact.
I wish all of you a happy and relaxing summer.
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Monsignor viewed the Church's social justice policy in regard to her own employees as often bordering on "scandal." He fought tirelessly to bring just treatment to Catholic school teachers and workers in Catholic hospitals. It wasn't ever easy and his fellow priests, especially those who headed dioceses in which a union organizing campaign was in progress, were not at all happy to have their injustices put on display. That never seemed to bother Monsignor. He knew what was right and he did the right thing.
When NACST wanted to establish an award to be given to honor those whose lives had been spent in the pursuit of justice within the Church, we could think of only one person for whom to name it, Msgr. George G. Higgins. The first recipient was NACST's founding President, John Reilly. It was heartwarming to see the two old war horses together in Boston in 1998 where the first award ceremony took place. Sadly, they are both gone now, but they will remain in our hearts to inspire us as we continue the quest for justice in the Church.
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George
Higgins: Assured A Place In Church History
[excerpts from a May 10, 2002 NCR Editorial]
Most notably, perhaps, he is one of the last of a generation of "labor priests"... [who] joined in the fight for worker rights and living wages, humane hours and working conditions, arguing the inherent dignity of every person. Their arguments and protests were made to those who were not about to improve the lot of workers out of sheer altruism.
Higgins' life and writings should be studied by every seminarian who wants a profound example of a healthy minister whose style was to convince the world with wit, intelligence and love, not condemnations.
He was revered and esteemed far and wide, not because he wielded power, walked with wealth or had the ear of the influential, but because he knew that the church was at its best when it brought the truth of Jesus to real people in their everyday circumstances. Unlike others who, given his access to power and influence, might have gone a different direction, Higgins never followed the lure of money and power.
His mission remains a compelling one. In an interview about 10 years ago, he appeared to reduce a lifetime of work and study and his understanding of decades of church social teaching to a simple line spoken with enormous conviction: "People have a right to organize."
Contract Settled - Negotiations Ongoing
CHALTA has reached agreement with the Cleveland Archdiocese. Local President Mike DeSantis settled on salary increases of 3%, 4%, and 5%, respectively, for each year of the three year contract. In addition, the agreement includes pension increases from 5% to 5.25% in the 2nd year and 5.5% in the 3rd year of the contract.
Details of the February 12, 2002 COACE settlement are available at www.coace.com.
Negotiations continue for BATA, CTU, DETA, and SRTA.
Depositions have begun in the civil lawsuit filed in New Jersey court by SDTA.
NACST
Correspondence with USCCB
In an April 16, 2002 letter to USCCB President Bishop
Wilton Gregory, NACST President Rita Schwartz requested that the Conference
look at the social justice issues facing US Church employees. She
noted that since the bishops are giving consideration to national policy
for dealing with the current scandal they should also give consideration
to a national policy regarding a positive aspect of Church's mission, i.e.
the right to organize. The following is Bishop Gregory's response
to the April 16 letter
April 30, 2002
Dear Ms. Schwartz,
Thank you for your letter dated April 16, 2002. I appreciate your introduction and the delineation of your concerns. However, I must explain the function of the United Stated Conference of Catholic Bishops. This organization assists diocesan Bishops and their auxiliary Bishops in their pastoral responsibilities. It does not set policy except in a very few matters determined by Canon Law. Each diocesan Bishop has responsibility for his own diocese. He is answerable to the Holy Father and not to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. The Bishops as a Conference are not the employers of any diocesan personnel. What you express in your letter is true. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops cannot make decisions for individual dioceses.
While the Conference does not have a role in responding to your concerns, I assure you that they are taken seriously. The Bishops are most grateful to the eductors who make possible our outstanding Catholic Schools which hand on the faith to generations of students. The Bishops are keenly aware of the challenges of maintaining quality Catholic Schools that are affordable for parents who chose them for their children, while endeavoring to provide a just wage for all who staff these schools.
Each diocese must meet the educational challenges of their Catholic Schools. The Conference does not have the structure, the authority, or the resources to pursue your request. The exploration of issues of justice for employees in Catholic schools needs to happen within local dioceses.
From
the Editor: Been There...
Referring to the current situation of the
US Catholic Church, Paul Schervish [director of the Social Welfare Research
Institute at Boston College] stated "It is now increasingly up to ... all
Catholic people to create and demand consequences. That doesn't mean
they must leave the church and its formal institutions, but rather they
must take a more active role in shaping it."
Lay teachers in Catholic schools (nearly 94%
of faculty) have long been actively shaping the future of the nation and
church. For the past twenty four years, through NACST, we have
been demanding consequences of those in Church leadership.
For those twenty four years, up to the present,
many locals have been dealing with members of the hierarchy who are more
concerned with position and power than with the good of the schools.
A lesson we have learned, which could certainly benefit all Catholics today:
when the concerns of thehierarchy are outof touch with the mission of the
faithful, we can and do make a positive impact on the future of the Church.
Because of our efforts, sacrifices, and commitment to the students, the
future of the schools is not diminished by the current scandal.
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John
J. Reilly Memorial Scholarship Recipients
Winners of the first John J. Reilly Memorial
Scholarships have been chosen from a field of 25 nominated high school
seniors.
The scholarships are awarded annually to help
defray the cost of a college education for outstanding children of NACST
members.
The students will receive $1250 in each of
their four years of study, making each scholarship a $5000 value over each
student's course of collegiate studies.
Congratulations to the first three winners
of the Scholarship:
Scranton
Robert Perry, SLATA,
St. Louis
Matthew Thomas, CHALTA,
Cleveland
The
National Value of Catholic Schools
information excerpted from United States Catholic Elementary and
Secondary Schools:2000-2001, published by the NCEA - complete information
is available at www.usccb.org/education
Number of schools - elementary 6,920
- secondary 1,226 - Total 8,146
enrollment - elementary 2,004,037
- secondary 643,264 - Total 2,647,301
full-time faculty - elementary 112,
402 - secondary 49,093 - Total 161,496
Lay teachers make up 93.5% of the
full-time faculties
Cost per pupil: public elementary
$6,584 - Catholic elementary $2,823
public secondary $6,584 - Catholic secondary $5,700
Based on public school per pupil cost,
Catholic schools provide more than $17.5
billion in savings to the nation
83% of students graduating from Catholic schools go on to post
secondary education
Catholic schools have a significantly lower
drop-out rate (3.4%) than public schools (14.4%) or other
private schools (11.9%)
97% of all Catholic secondary and 82% of elementary schools offered
tuition asisstance to students
87% of elementary schools received some form of parish subsidy to meet
costs
43% of elementary and 89% of secondary schools have development programs
more than 6,500 Catholic school have access to the Internet
more than 2,700 Catholic schools received discounts under the federal
E-rate program during the 2000-2001 school year
more than 140,000 students in 4,000 Catholic elementary and secondary
schools received federal Title I services
Catholic
School Teachers:
Why Unionize?
keep good teachers in Catholic schools by:
• putting the Church's labor teaching
into practice
• having a voice in working conditions,
salaries, and benefits
• fairly resolving legitimate disputes
• treating teachers with respect &
professionalism
Catholic School Teachers:
How Can We Unionize?
• by talking to your colleagues at school
• by becoming informed of locals in
your area
• by emailing NACST
Previous Issues
April 2002
Decembet
2001 September
2001 April
2001 February
2001
December 2000
September 2000
April 2000
September 1999
December 1999
| Newsworthy
is a publication of the National Association of Catholic School Teachers.
Direct comments, inquiries to: Chris Ehrmann, NACST, Suite 903, 1700 Sansom St., Philadelphia, PA 19103 email nacst@snip.net. |
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