Philadelphia Catholic school teachers plan rally as contract set to expire

With their existing contract about to expire and classes starting next week, Philadelphia Catholic school teachers rallied this morning outside the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.

The contract between the Office of Catholic Education and the teachers at the archdiocese’s 17 Catholic high schools expires tomorrow. The teachers association will meet next week, just before classes start, to vote on a new contract.

Rita Schwartz, president of the Association of Catholic Teachers, told the Inquirer talks aren’t going so well — all the issues are still on the table, including the ones the ACT sees as anti-teacher and anti-union, like the office’s desire for more flexibility with scheduling and assignments.

Salaries and benefits haven’t been at the forefront of talks so far, though the union initially requested a 22 percent salary increase over three years.

Tom MacDonald will have for coverage later today for NewsWorks.