Lay teachers in Philadelphia on strike at 22
high schools
By JOHN L. ALLEN JR.
NCR Staff
Lay teachers at 22 Philadelphia Catholic high schools went on
strike Sept. 3, walking out over wages, benefits and an amendment to
archdiocesan policies concerning sexual misconduct and harassment.
According to an archdiocesan spokesperson, key issues for church
leadership center on the Catholic identity of schools, as well as
maintaining an appropriate balance between wages and tuition.
The union contends that a provision advanced by the archdiocese
gives priests, brothers and religious preferential treatment if accused of
improper sexual behavior or harassment. Under existing policy, when teachers
are accused of such offenses, the matter is referred to the superintendent of
schools.
Since the policy refers to employees, the union
contends that it should encompass all teachers. The archdiocese is pressing for
new language that would refer an accusation to the religious superior in the
case of a priest, brother or sister.
Our position is that the contract should treat lay and
religious employees equally, said Rita Schwartz, president of the
Association of Catholic Teachers. We may choose different lifestyles but
we should receive the same treatment.
Jay Devine, a spokesman for the diocese, said, This language
brings the contract in line with canon law. This isnt a matter of
preferential treatment. Devine works for the Philadelphia public
relations firm The Tierney Group.
On wages, the union is asking for a five to eight percent increase
in each of the three years of the contract, along with reductions in the level
of copayment in the teachers medical plan.
We should practice what we preach in terms of a living
wage, Schwartz said.
The problem is we dont want to price ourselves out of
the market on a tuition basis for parents, Devine said. We have to
balance the needs of employees against the needs of parents.
The archdiocese is pressing for contract language making
attendance mandatory at religious functions held as part of teachers
in-service days. It also wants to resist providing compensatory time to faculty
who supervise in-school religious events. We feel these issues are key to
the Catholic character of our schools, Devine said.
A key issue for the union concerns a proposed provision
guaranteeing that if the archdiocese sells a school, the new owners would be
obligated to honor the remaining life of the contract.
Our teachers are very concerned about this because of what
happened in Rockville Centre, Schwartz said. In that New York diocese,
Schwartz said, two high schools whose teachers belonged to the Brooklyn
Catholic teachers union were sold to religious communities. All the
teachers at both schools were fired by the new owners, with some hired back
later.
Devine claimed the archdiocese lacked the authority to agree to
such a provision. If a school is sold, its outside our
system, Devine said. We cant place constraints on the new
owners.
National Catholic Reporter, September 12,
1997
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