Newspaper names Michael Milz their "Person of the Year"
The following article appeared in the January, 2009 edition of The Union News:
By PAUL TUCKER
theunionnewsswb@aol.com
REGION, December 31st- On December 28th the Wilkes-Barre Citizens’ Voice daily newspaper in Luzerne County announced Michael Milz was named their "2008 Person of the Year."
Mr. Milz is the President of the Scranton Diocese Association of Catholic Teachers (SDACT) Union, in Dunmore. The union represented the teachers of seventeen of the fourty-two grade schools and nine of the ten high schools of the Scranton Diocese until Bishop Martino restructured the system in 2007. The new system eliminated the small school boards and created four regional boards.
SDACT previously had contracts with each Board of Pastors that represented each school. Bishop Martino implemented a "Employee Relations Program," which busted the union. Mr. Milz said the Scranton Diocese teachers now have what could be called a "company union," similar to what the coal barons had throughout the region before the United Mine Workers of America Union became the miners bargaining representative.
SDACT has not represented the workers since August 2007, when their previous contract expired. SDACT now has 22 active members employed by the Diocese at St. Michael’s School in Tunkhannock. The current five year contract agreement with the Scranton Diocese will expire in August 2009.
The Citizens’ Voice asked their readers to select who they believed was the person of the year of 2008 by voting online. The voting began on November 30th, 2008. The newspaper reported Mr. Milz received the most votes of the ten people that the editors of the newspaper nominated. All online voting was concluded by December 14th, 2008.
According to James Gittens, Editorial Page Editor of the Citizens’ Voice, the "Person of the Year" is intended to ackowledge someone that had a positive impact on the Wyoming Valley.
Only the second year of the award, last year the newspaper named Rabbi Larry Kaplan as the winner for his continued foster parenting with the Luzerne County Children and Youth Services.
Mr. Milz said he was honored to receive the award but wanted to express his pleasure not for himself receiving the "Person of the Year" but because a labor leader was recognized, something Mr. Mitz stated doesn’t happen everyday. Mr. Milz was the only labor leader nominated by the Citizens’ Voice to be considered for the award.
Mr. Milz was a 33 year employee of the Scranton Diocese, who worked as a science teacher and later a social studies teacher at Bishop Hoban High School in Wilkes-Barre, now called Holly Redeemer. He was a vocal critic against Bishop Martino’s plan to bust the union and was laid-off by the Scranton Diocese during the summer of 2008.
He is currently employed by the Northeastern Area Labor Federation (ALF) in Dunmore, which is affiliated with the American Federation of Labor and the Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) labor federation.
The union recently received four new awards that require the Diocese of Scranton to pay former union members money owed under the terms and conditions of the previous contract agreement between the SDACT and the employer.
The lastest decisions involve teachers employed at the former Bishop O’Reilly Junior High School, Bishop O’Reilly Senior High School in Kingston; Bishop Neumann High School in Williamsport and St. Vincent’s Elementary School in Honesdale.
Former Bishop O’Reilly Senior teachers will receive 1 month salary and $45.00 for every unused sick day which will cost the Diocese of Scranton approximately $88,000.
Teachers affected at the former Bishop O’Reilly Junior High School will receive 1 month salary, plus $20.00 for every unused sick day for a approximate financial cost to the Diocese of Scranton of $25,000.
Bishop Neumann teachers will receive $1,500 each that will cost the employer around $18,000. St. Vincent’s teachers will receive on average $625.00 each for a approximate cost to the Diocese of Scranton of $5,000.
Michael Milz estimates the overall costs to the Scranton Diocese for their failure to pay union teachers what was owed to them under the previous contract agreement could be more than $2 million.
The arbitrators award requires the Scranton Diocese to pay the teachers the money owed to them for accumulated sick leave and severance pay when their employment with the smaller school system was terminated.
By PAUL TUCKER
theunionnewsswb@aol.com
REGION, December 31st- On December 28th the Wilkes-Barre Citizens’ Voice daily newspaper in Luzerne County announced Michael Milz was named their "2008 Person of the Year."
Mr. Milz is the President of the Scranton Diocese Association of Catholic Teachers (SDACT) Union, in Dunmore. The union represented the teachers of seventeen of the fourty-two grade schools and nine of the ten high schools of the Scranton Diocese until Bishop Martino restructured the system in 2007. The new system eliminated the small school boards and created four regional boards.
SDACT previously had contracts with each Board of Pastors that represented each school. Bishop Martino implemented a "Employee Relations Program," which busted the union. Mr. Milz said the Scranton Diocese teachers now have what could be called a "company union," similar to what the coal barons had throughout the region before the United Mine Workers of America Union became the miners bargaining representative.
SDACT has not represented the workers since August 2007, when their previous contract expired. SDACT now has 22 active members employed by the Diocese at St. Michael’s School in Tunkhannock. The current five year contract agreement with the Scranton Diocese will expire in August 2009.
The Citizens’ Voice asked their readers to select who they believed was the person of the year of 2008 by voting online. The voting began on November 30th, 2008. The newspaper reported Mr. Milz received the most votes of the ten people that the editors of the newspaper nominated. All online voting was concluded by December 14th, 2008.
According to James Gittens, Editorial Page Editor of the Citizens’ Voice, the "Person of the Year" is intended to ackowledge someone that had a positive impact on the Wyoming Valley.
Only the second year of the award, last year the newspaper named Rabbi Larry Kaplan as the winner for his continued foster parenting with the Luzerne County Children and Youth Services.
Mr. Milz said he was honored to receive the award but wanted to express his pleasure not for himself receiving the "Person of the Year" but because a labor leader was recognized, something Mr. Mitz stated doesn’t happen everyday. Mr. Milz was the only labor leader nominated by the Citizens’ Voice to be considered for the award.
Mr. Milz was a 33 year employee of the Scranton Diocese, who worked as a science teacher and later a social studies teacher at Bishop Hoban High School in Wilkes-Barre, now called Holly Redeemer. He was a vocal critic against Bishop Martino’s plan to bust the union and was laid-off by the Scranton Diocese during the summer of 2008.
He is currently employed by the Northeastern Area Labor Federation (ALF) in Dunmore, which is affiliated with the American Federation of Labor and the Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) labor federation.
The union recently received four new awards that require the Diocese of Scranton to pay former union members money owed under the terms and conditions of the previous contract agreement between the SDACT and the employer.
The lastest decisions involve teachers employed at the former Bishop O’Reilly Junior High School, Bishop O’Reilly Senior High School in Kingston; Bishop Neumann High School in Williamsport and St. Vincent’s Elementary School in Honesdale.
Former Bishop O’Reilly Senior teachers will receive 1 month salary and $45.00 for every unused sick day which will cost the Diocese of Scranton approximately $88,000.
Teachers affected at the former Bishop O’Reilly Junior High School will receive 1 month salary, plus $20.00 for every unused sick day for a approximate financial cost to the Diocese of Scranton of $25,000.
Bishop Neumann teachers will receive $1,500 each that will cost the employer around $18,000. St. Vincent’s teachers will receive on average $625.00 each for a approximate cost to the Diocese of Scranton of $5,000.
Michael Milz estimates the overall costs to the Scranton Diocese for their failure to pay union teachers what was owed to them under the previous contract agreement could be more than $2 million.
The arbitrators award requires the Scranton Diocese to pay the teachers the money owed to them for accumulated sick leave and severance pay when their employment with the smaller school system was terminated.
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