The disappointment was evident on the teachers’ faces as they left Penn’s Landing Caterers shortly before 12:30 p.m. Monday.
Members of the Association of Catholic Teachers Local 1776 had just approved the latest contract offer from the Archdiocese of Philadelphia by a vote of 486-434 with one abstention — the closest vote in the union’s history.
This ended the strike that began Sept. 2.
When the votes were tallied, ACT president Rita Schwartz told the membership she would call Richard McCarron, the archdiocese’s secretary for Catholic education, and inform him that the latest contract offer "has been grudgingly accepted."
Several teachers angrily stomped out of the hall after the vote. Many booed and hissed as they rushed past the waiting media members, but otherwise refused to comment.
Before anyone knew the results, an unidentified teacher from St. John Neumann High School, who had stepped outside the facility at Columbus Boulevard and Washington Avenue for some fresh air, predicted the narrow margin by which the contract would be approved. He suggested that although most of the teachers still considered the current offer a bad deal, many were feeling the squeeze of a missed paycheck.
Teachers who spoke on the record said there was pressure — but it came from their dedication to their students, not their starving bank accounts.
"The teachers felt the pressure of not being able to teach the kids," said Neumann’s Charles Haub. "That’s what we dedicate ourselves to, and I think that the diocese used that. It’s almost like a bit of blackmail. They know that we want to be in the classrooms. We know that the parents make a sacrifice and we try to do our job as well as we can."
Haub, who has taught English at the school for 37 years, voted to reject the contract, as did fellow Neumann English teacher Reggie DeCarlo.
"We know that we have a responsibility to teach the kids," said DeCarlo, who has taught all but one of the last 37 years at Neumann. "This is our job, but we try to look out for ourselves, also." Thirteen of Neumann’s teachers voted to reject the archdiocese’s offer and 13 voted to accept it. At Goretti, only eight teachers voted in favor of the contract while 22 voted against it.
During the meeting, union representatives from each of the 22 archdiocesan high schools went one by one to a microphone in the middle of the room and announced the voting results from their schools. Members listened and cheered when an individual school’s results favored continuing the strike.
Roseanne Whelan, Goretti’s union representative, said she was not surprised how the teachers at her school voted.
"They are going back reluctantly, I’m going to say that," said Whelan, who has taught health and physical education for 32 years.
ACT president Schwartz said the close vote showed that many of the union’s 1,026 secondary school teachers continued to feel disrespected by the Church.
"They will remember, though," Schwartz said. "Our teachers have very long memories, and this is only a three-year contract. So we’ll be back."
ACT’s executive board approved the contract last Friday and recommended that the teachers accept it. Board members felt they could not guarantee the teachers more money if they stayed out longer, said Schwartz.
"I’m happy if the teachers are happy," she said. "They’re not happy, so that means that we are starting now working on negotiations for three years from now. We’ll be back."
Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua released a statement Monday afternoon thanking his negotiating team and welcoming the teachers back to the classrooms.
"Committed, quality teachers are critical to the values-oriented Catholic education that the Archdiocese provides to students in our high schools," Bevilacqua stated. "I consider the archdiocese blessed to have so many gifted teachers who remain dedicated to providing a Catholic education to our young people."
Judge Clement J. McGovern, the archdiocese’s chief negotiator, tried to allay parents’ concerns that the rising expense of teacher salaries would translate into tuition hikes.
"During the entire process of negotiation, I have been cognizant of tuition," he said. "I want to give parents the assurance that the Office for Catholic Education will make every effort to keep the tuition increase for next year manageable."
According to Schwartz and the archdiocese, the terms of the three-year contract are as follows:
Salaries will increase across the board, $1,000 the first year, $1,300 the second and $1,500 the final year of the contract. The increases equal just more than 9 percent throughout the duration of the contract. The archdiocese noted in a press release that this was a 10th of a percent more than the contract rejected by ACT’s executive board last Tuesday, and $100 a year more than the raises included in the contract the teachers voted against on Sept. 2.
For teachers participating in Blue Cross’ Personal Choice medical plan, the cost of visits to the doctor will increase, but they will have no co-pay for outpatient or inpatient surgeries. Teachers will pay more if they choose to use name-brand drugs.
In addition, the amount that teachers contribute from each paycheck to the medical insurance will change from a flat rate to a variable amount that will automatically increase each year as the cost of medical insurance rises.
Teachers will have the choice of less-expensive healthcare options offered by the archdiocese.
The teachers reported to their schools to begin preparing their classrooms shortly after voting on the contract. Students returned to classes on Tuesday. The archdiocese said it will use holidays and holy days to make up for the school days lost due to the strike, and all graduation dates will remain the same.
Athletic directors from each school met Tuesday to begin reworking the fall football schedule. A new Catholic League schedule will be released later this week. All non-contact sports will begin immediately.
