Catholic teachers to take rally South, reps from several unions plan to attend to support

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.timesleader.com/news/20080208_08Dioces_union_mg_ART.html

Reps from several unions plan to attend to support Scranton Diocese teachers’ right to unionize.

By Mark Guydish [e-mail]
Education Reporter

SCRANTON – The fight to unionize Diocese of Scranton Catholic school teachers is heading south Sunday – to St. Charles Seminary in Wynnewood, west of Philadelphia. A rally is slated, with representatives from the national, Philadelphia and New Jersey Catholic teachers’ unions expected to attend.

Why Wynnewood? A press release notes that Martino, former auxiliary bishop of Philadelphia, “resides at St. Charles Seminary during the weekend.”

The union has been pushing Martino to reverse a decision announced Jan 24 that rejected unionization and implemented an “Employee Relations Program” instead.

Sunday’s rally, beginning at 1 p.m., is to include members from the National Association of Catholic School Teachers, the Philadelphia Association of Catholic Teachers, the Scranton Diocese Association of Catholic School Teachers, and members of the Catholic Teachers Union of New Jersey.

The Scranton Diocese Association has sought recognition as the sole representative for area teachers since the diocese announced in 2006 that it would restructure the entire Catholic school system, eliminating the local school boards that had allowed unionization. Four regional boards were formed, and those boards rejected calls to unionize.


FULL story at link.

[rpannier]

1. The Catholic Church pays their teachers squat, provides them with crappy pensions

and use the excuse "It's a mission." rather than recognize it as a profession.

Missionaries don't have unions.