Many of our members have asked us how the Diocesan reorganization of schools could affect the status of our union.  Whatever form that reorganization takes, one thing is certain:  without the total commitment of our members to maintain what the SDACT has provided for us over 30 years, we could end up with only nostalgia for the status quo. There isn’t one honest lay teacher in the Diocese (unionized or not) who doesn’t believe that teachers are better off since the union movement began providing our teachers with a voice in the late 70’s.  Not only do the now-affiliated SDACT schools enjoy financial and work-related benefits light years away from pre-union days, but our brethren who have not sought unionization have also benefited significantly.  The improvements in their salaries and working conditions have been an attempt to limit the spread of the union to their schools.

     Soon, however, all this might be a thing of the past.  More than likely, Diocesan reorganization will see all lay teachers with a new employer. That would mean that all existing contracts would be null and void, and that recognition of current teacher associations with previous employers will cease to exist.  So, does that mean that all our union has accomplished over the past 30 years will have gone for naught?  The answer is, only if we let that happen!

     The good news is that our right to organize can never cease to exist.  That right is an integral part of the Church’s proud one hundred year-plus teachings on social justice.  Moreover, we have not seen or heard anything to indicate that Diocesan School Policy #417,(initiated by Cardinal O’Connor and implemented by Bishop Timlin) which provides a mechanism by which teachers can exercise those rights in the Scranton Diocese, will change in any way.

     That being the case, it will necessitate the choice of a new bargaining agent (union), authorized to bargain collectively with the new employer on behalf of the new employee unit.  If an election under Policy 417 should take place, a majority of the teachers in that new unit must vote for union representation.

     When the dust settles, the new employee unit might consist of people from several previous schools.  That being the case, there is a likelihood that current union and non-union teachers will share the same lunchrooms and teacher lounges. At that point, it will be up to our SDACT members to become the face of the teacher union movement in the Diocese.  They will make or break the effort to unionize.  It cannot possibly be done by a handful of Association officers, no matter how committed that group might be.  The work of forming a new bargaining unit could be monumental, and would require a total effort.

     If all of our members do their part, a new bargaining unit will emerge which will continue the proud history of the SDACT being “your voice in Catholic education.”