Bishop should alter stance on House Bill 26

The following letter to the editor of the Wilkes-Barre Times Leader appeared on March 3, 2009:

Bishop should alter stance on House Bill 26

As a graduate of Bishop O’Reilly High School, I am appalled by Bishop Joseph Martino’s stance on the unionization of Catholic teachers and believe it imperative to support state House Bill 26. House Bill 26 would include Catholic and other religiously affiliated schools in Pennsylvania’s labor laws.

While attending Catholic schools I learned the importance of social justice, the idea that everyone in society should not only have equal rights and the right to earn a living wage, but also to form labor unions. I also was made aware of the Catholic Church’s tradition of supporting unions in Northeastern Pennsylvania, most famously the support for coal miners in the early 1900s.

But Bishop Martino doesn’t have to look far into the past to see the Catholic Church’s support for organized labor. “Laborem Exercens,” written by Pope John Paul II in 1981, states, “All these rights, together with the need for the workers themselves to secure them, give rise to yet another right: the right of association, that is to form associations for the purpose of defending the vital interests of those employed in the various professions.”

I also would urge Bishop Martino to change his stance on House Bill 26 and recognize the Scranton Diocese Association of Catholic Teachers. Bishop Martino’s current union-busting tactics are not new. And although working conditions are not comparable to those in coal mines, steel mills and factories in the early 20th century, the tactics are no better than those used in the past.

Bishop Martino must realize that Catholic schools are the backbone of the Scranton Diocese, bringing up future Catholics in a religious environment. Closing the schools will lead only to more financial and church attendance woes.

TOM SHUBILLA
PLAINS TOWNSHIP