High school teachers ratify contract with Philly archdiocese
Lay teachers have ratified a new labor agreement with the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, ensuring that 17 Catholic high schools will open on time in September.
Lay teachers have ratified a new labor agreement with the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, ensuring that 17 Catholic high schools will open on time in September.
Members of Local 1776 of the Association of Catholic Teachers voted Tuesday to accept the one-year deal, which offers salary increases of $1,100 for the contract year starting Sept. 1.
The deal addresses rising medical costs by introducing a pharmacy benefit manager to get better rates on prescription medications, said Rita C. Schwartz, president of Local 1776.
In a joint statement Wednesday, the union and archdiocese said the salary and benefits package "is highly competitive in comparison to other diocesan secondary school systems in the country while also providing students and school families with a moderately low tuition rate when comparisons are made on the same national spectrum."
Once again, the contract only covers one year.
"Our teachers, they weren't ecstatic, but they are glad we will have labor peace for another year," Schwartz said.
The last time the union went on strike was 2011, and that experience "is still on the minds of the teachers," Schwartz said.
Under the deal, a starting teacher will make $39,500 a year, a teacher with 20 years' experience will make $53,780, and top of the scale will be about $79,300, Schwartz said.
The archdiocese will continue to contribute to the teachers' 403(b) retirement plan, Schwartz said.
"I still think we got a pretty good one-year contract," Schwartz said.
The union represents about 640 high school lay teachers serving about 13,500 students.
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