Camden teachers' strike heats up: settlement in Philly - lay teachers at Catholic high schools in New Jersey, and Philadelphia

National Catholic Reporter, Sept 19, 1997 by John L. Allen, Jr

Checchio contended that the diocese is already strapped and simply doesn't have the money to fund the union's proposals. "Right now the diocese is providing a $1.25 million subsidy to these schools, and we're pushed to the limit," Checchio said. "If we go up much more, we'll be pricing parents out of our market. There are parents right now who would like to send their kids to Catholic schools but can't afford it," Checchio said.

"Shame on them," Blumenstein said in reference to the diocesan officials. "Here's the Catholic church, in the vanguard of the vouchers movement, asking for taxpayer dollars for our schools, and they won't go to the Catholic community to ask for support? It's hypocritical," he said.

Medical benefits also figure in the Camden dispute. The union has proposed a new health plan for teachers that would save the diocese 25 percent. The diocese, wishing to maintain a single plan for all employees, has rejected the offer.

The Camden diocese's efforts to keep schools open using replacements and modified schedules brought derision from Blumenstein. "It's an absolute joke," he said. "They have groups of more than 100 kids in an auditorium, supposedly teaching them religion or English, and they're calling it education. At a minimum, parents should demand a refund. It's fraud."

No negotiations were scheduled between the two sides as NCR went to press. Checchio said negotiations could resume only after movement on salaries from the union. "We're ready to negotiate, but they have to demonstrate some willingness," he said. "In a spirit of fiscal responsibility, we simply don't have the money they're asking for."

Despite the diocese's efforts to keep schools open, Blumenstein vowed the union would fight on. "I assure you that the resolve of the teachers on the line is stronger than ever today," he said. "Our members are outraged by Bishop McHugh's union-busting activities."

In Philadelphia, the two sides were meeting daily since the strike began, although archdiocesan officials insisted on beginning negotiating sessions in the afternoon, which union officials saw as unnecessarily protracting the strike. Aside from the scandal clause, the other noneconomic issue that had blocked agreement was the archdiocese's insistence that attendance at religious events on days set aside for faculty in-services be mandatory for all teachers. "We believe that a Catholic school is more than informational. It's also formational," Devine said. "For that to happen, teachers need to take part in religious services."

Neither side was able to comment prior to press time on how the dispute over the proposed requirement was settled.