St. Louis Archdiocese, teachers’ union move closer to contract agreement

By SHERI GASSAWAY
Correspondent

Thanks to an outpouring of solidarity and support from students, parents and the Labor community, the St. Louis Archdiocesan Teachers Association (SLATA) is moving closer to a more fair and equitable contract agreement with the St. Louis Archdiocese.

Last month, the Archdiocese attempted to destroy its teachers’ union by trying to force its own so-called “contract” on educators and threatening their jobs if they didn’t sign them – an effort that is totally in conflict with the church’s position in support of unions.

In response, the St. Louis Labor Council passed a resolution demanding the Archdiocese go back to the bargaining table and negotiate with teachers and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) St. Louis 420 penned SLATA a letter of support and solidarity saying “all teachers deserve a union and respect.”

On Sunday, March 27, teachers, parents and students held a prayer rally and mass at the Cathedral Basilica. On Monday, March 28, teachers staged a “sick out” at three of the high schools, which prompted students to hold their own rally in front of the Cathedral.

Finally, the Archdiocese agreed to meet with the union March 30 – the day before the teachers’ contracts for the next school year were due. While no tentative agreement was reached, the parties were able to move closer to an agreement and the individual teacher contract return dates were extended to April 19.

“The SLATA negotiating team and its members have been overwhelmed by tremendous support,” said SLATA President Kathryn Williams-Heese. “Because of the prayers, solidarity and bold actions, the March 30 negotiations with the Archdiocese were fruitful.”

The Archdiocese and the teacher’s union are scheduled to meet today, April 7, at 4 p.m. SLATA represents educators at Cardinal Ritter College Preparatory, Bishop DuBourg, Rosati-Kain, St. Mary’s and St. Pius X high schools.

Negotiations on a new three-year contract began in October. The teacher’s current contract expired March 4. About 90 percent of teachers rejected the Archdiocese’s last contract offer and asked the Archdiocese for continued negotiations. Specifically, the contract:

• Did not include a procedure for placing educators in the event of a school closure or consolidation. The Archdiocese is planning a major reorganization of Catholic schools based on declining enrollment.
• Proposed meager raises to less experienced teachers and pay cuts to the most experienced teachers with master’s degrees by as much as $7,320 a year.
• Eliminated seniority within the system.
• Eliminated a functional grievance process.
• Cut off early retirement incentives.

After teachers rejected the contract, the Archdiocese hand-delivered individualized contracts, which were different from the last contract they voted on. The new contracts instituted a new Archdiocese organization to replace SLATA, completely ignoring the existence of the organization. Teachers were expected to sign them by March 31 or their position would be considered open.

SHOW YOUR SUPPORT
SLATA is encouraging supporters to write emails to Archbishop Rozanski (archbishopsoffice@archstl.org) and Dr. Todd Sweda (ToddSweda@archstl.org), the superintendent of Catholic Schools, urging them to continue negotiating with the teachers until they reach a fair contract.

FOR UPDATES
To receive updates on the negotiations, sign up at bit.ly/SLATA.