Parochial teachers’ sick-out set today

WILKES-BARRE – A teacher sick-out in support of unionization closed St. Nicholas-St. Mary’s Elementary School in Wilkes-Barre today and provoked harsh criticism from the Diocese of Scranton.

The Scranton Diocese Association of Catholic Teachers (SDACT) organized the sick-out in its ongoing effort to reverse Bishop Joseph Martino’s January rejection of teacher unionization. The association has previously staged two other separate one-day sick-outs that closed Holy Redeemer High School in Wilkes-Barre and Holy Cross High School in Scranton.

The union issued a statement pointing out the teachers at St. Nicholas-St. Mary’s had been unionized for 24 years before Martino restructured the education system last year, eliminating small local school boards that negotiated with the union and creating four regional boards. In January, three of those boards rejected SDACT’s request to represent teachers, and the union has staged numerous rallies, pickets and the sick-outs in an effort to reverse the decision.

In its statement, the union repeated its claim that Martino is ignoring a century of Catholic Church support of unions, and said teachers “regret the inconvenience suffered by the parents” and “apologize to the students for disrupting the educational programs in progress.”

But the diocese struck back with a stinging statement calling the sick-out “abandonment of the classroom” and part of a “useless campaign.” The diocese dubbed it “grossly unfair treatment of students and parents,” and said it “exposes once again the vain and desperate attempts by SDACT’s leaders to maintain their positions of power and the extra financial compensation they derive from union dues.”

The diocese insists employees will get fair representation through the new Employee Relations Program, which creates “employee councils” composed of representatives elected by the workers. Wednesday’s statement said the program “will ensure dignity and justice for teachers and other school employees.”

The union has called the Employee Relations Program a “company union” because teachers were not given a choice.

The diocesan statement calls the sick-outs “desperate tactics” that “actually confirm the wisdom of Bishop Martino’s decision to preserve his responsibility to manage our Catholic Schools.”

The union is also set to conduct informational pickets outside Holy Redeemer and high schools in Scranton and Williamsport this morning before classes begin.

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St. Nicholas-St. Mary’s Elementary in Wilkes-Barre will be focus of protest in support of union.

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