For more than a century our Church has been churning out encyclicals, pastoral letters, cannon law and National Conference of Bishops statements extolling the virtues of unionization. Popes from Leo XIII to John-Paul II speak of the absolute right of employees to form free and unfettered associations, as well as the absolute obligation of employers to recognize such a right. 

Moreover, many such pronouncements single out the Church itself as an agency in need of setting an example in this area. When its employees seek to unionize, the Church must be "exemplary" in its dealings with workers, because it recognizes that unions foster a positive and productive partnership. 

Why then, are so many teachers in this diocese - teachers who might desire to from a union - reluctant to pursue that goal? The answer is twofold. First, most educators who become teachers in Catholic schools do so for reasons which transcend those of their secular counterparts. They are attracted to schools where they can demonstrate a deeply-rooted faith, a faith they wish to pass on to their students. Such a desire to contribute to the vitality of their Church is a mark of a fervent Christian. 

Ironically, such fervor often involves an inability to challenge the behavior of Church employers when they act in a manner inconsistent with their own teachings. It is nearly impossible for some teachers to escape a lifetime's worth of feeling that their priests - priests who baptize, marry, anoint and bury in the name of God - could ever misrepresent Church teachings on social justice. When Father frowns and says that a union is not acceptable, all the emotional freight associated with his office tends to weaken the resolve of even the strongest individual. 

Even with the existence of Policy # 415 in the Diocesan School Manual (giving official sanction to unions and detailing the steps required to form them), many teachers nevertheless feel uneasy about upsetting their local pastor/board of pastors. Such "Father Knows Best" paternalism intimidates and dissuades. 

Another important reason for lack of unionization initiative concerns the care and maintenance needed to establish and run a teacher's association. Given the fact that lay teachers have no recourse to civil labor law in such endeavors and must rely solely on Church doctrine (honored more in the breach than in the observance), such an undertaking requires tact, diplomacy and perseverance above and beyond the black-and-white world of the public school teacher. 

Lay teachers are so overwhelmed with performing their duties and trying to make modest (and too often inadequate) salary and benefits suffice that they have little time for anything else - let alone the protracted and complex task of forging a union. 

Whenever that prospect seems insurmountable, however, consider the alternative. Without a union you have no control over the conditions of your employment, your salary and benefits. Without a union you are perceived as a modular unit, easily replaced by another (less expensive) modular unit. Without a union you'll never feel that you are a professional educator, whose worth is truly valued in the workplace. 

Becoming a full partner in the operation of your school via unionization might require time, effort and aggravation on your part, but can you really afford to function without any control over your status and future? If you and your fellow teachers believe that you are ready to embrace the work and benefits which accrue to those who organize, call us today. We're living proof that the energy and effort you'll expend will pay you dividends a thousandfold.