Hundreds attend rally for Catholic teacher union

The following appeared in the Wilkes-Barre Times Leader, June 15, 2008:

Hundreds attend rally for Catholic teacher union

Part carnival but mostly union rally, 300 to 500 people gathered on Public Square to hear speeches from politicians, union leaders and a Holy Redeemer High School graduate extolling teachers and rebuking Diocese of Scranton Bishop Joseph Martino for refusing to let them unionize.

Noting he was a "proud graduate of Bishop Hoban High School" - shut down last summer and reopened as Holy Redeemer - Wilkes-Barre Mayor Tom Leighton told the crowd "I am proud to stand in support of these teachers," evoking loud applause.

U.S. Rep. Paul Kanjorski, D-Nanticoke, threw his support behind the cause, and said "We're not fighting the church - and there's a sign out here that says bishop be fair, it doesn't say Church be fair. We're fighting a man intent on doing the wrong thing."

Rita Schwartz, president of the National Association of Catholic School Teachers, repeated the union's contention that the Catholic Church has staunchly supported the right to unionize for more than a century, and shouted "you cannot preach one Gospel and practice another."

Kevin Hourigan, a graduate of Holy Redeemer High School in Wilkes-Barre who had helped organize student actions in support of the union - including a brief walkout during school hours by 282 schoolmates - said that "we have always been taught that the building is not the Church, the people are the Church. Well, the people of the Church are upset."

And State AFL-CIO president Bill George boasted of the connection of Church and unions over the decades, and criticized the diocese for laying off Michael Milz, a teacher and local union president who has spearheaded the effort to unionize for more than a year. George rejected the diocesan claim that Milz was not laid off because of his union activity.

"When you take a shot at the union and fire somebody, you've crossed a line," he said. "When you no longer respect the teachers, you no longer respect the people."

All of the speakers encouraged the public to call their state representatives and support House Bill 2626, introduced officially this week by Rep. Eddie Day Pashinski, D-Wilkes-Barre, with 55 co-sponsors, which would amend the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Act so it covers Catholic school teachers. The state supreme court has ruled they are not covered by the law, which would allow teachers to force the diocese to hold a secret ballot vote on unionization.

Pashinski asked "Where would you be without workers, without people fighting for unions," then unveiled an over-sized copy of the bill.

The Scranton Diocese Association of Catholic Teachers represented many local teachers until the diocese restructured the system last year, eliminating the small local school boards the union had negotiated with. The diocese formed four regional school boards, then rejected the Association's request to represent teachers under the new system, opting instead to form an "Employee Relations Program" officials have promised will represent all workers fairly.
The diocese has issued a statement criticizing HB 2626, contending it "would produce serious religious freedom and Constitutional consequences." That statement is posted here. But Pashinski and Milz insist it has been well researched and will stand up to any constitutional challenge.

If it does end up contested in the U.S. Supreme Court, Milz added, it would likely be a precedent-setting case. While other states have allowed Catholic teachers to unionize, he said he doesn't believe that right has ever been challenged on a federal level.

"It is a neutral bill," Pashinski said. Milz noted that the bill had been reviewed by members of the group "Catholic Scholars for Worker Justice," which, he said, includes numerous attorneys. A representative of that group, Joseph Fahey, also spoke briefly to the crowd, saying that "the Church teaches unions are an indispensable part of social justice."

Before the rally, people mulled around the square as a rock band called "The Imaginary Boys" played on stage. The trio were current or former students at Holy Redeemer, and had donated their time. The union had also invited food vendors to set up, and pizza, chicken, gyros and ice cream were available.

One table offered "SDACT face painting," which was exactly that - painting the acronym of the union onto cheeks. White balloons with "SDACT" printed on them billowed in bundles in the wind and were handed out to some youngsters. Parents supporting SDACT, an organization formed by non-teachers to back the union effort, set up a table to hand out pins, cards and signs while collecting names and e-mail addresses of those willing to join the cause.

The AFL-CIO bus was parked behind the dais of speakers and politicians, and George noted it was the "maiden voyage" of this particular bus. The union had been running an old school bus modified with a speaking platform in the back, but now sported a traditional city-type bus.

George said at least 100 members from numerous unions came in support of the teachers, and Nancy Krake, president of the Greater Scranton Central Labor Council read off a long list of the unions represented. Two people stood with a banner recreating a June 21, 1983 headline from the Philadelphia Inquirer that read "Pope: Union right is God given."

And some of the T-shirts sported by individuals included comments such as "Lord, let the first lesson taught at Holy Redeemer be Justice through a Union Contract," "United States and Unions, both start with U," and "Unions, the folks that brought you the weekend."

After the rally ended at about 2:30, Milz spent a long time talking with people who offered support, asked how they could donate money, or expressed sympathy that he lost his job. students walked up and thanked him "for being such a great teacher," or asked to get their picture taken with him.

As crowd dwindled to a few handfuls, a man sat across the street in front of the Ramada Hotel and held up a sign to passing motorists: "Solidarity with SDACT."