Teach a man to fish...

Sources tell me the apparent sickout by teachers at Holy Redeemer High School Wilkes-Barre will be the first of many “rolling sickouts” at newly merged schools in the Diocese of Scranton. It’s coming to a school near you. This comes after Bishop Joseph Martino announced he would not recognize the Scranton Diocese Association of Catholic Teachers. Should teachers have the right to elect their own leaders and to have those leaders bargain on their behalf? I say yes.
“We should add here that in today's world there are many other forms of poverty. For are there not certain privations or deprivations which deserve this name? The denial or the limitation of human rights - as for example the right to religious freedom, the right to share in the building of society, the freedom to organize and to form unions, or to take initiatives in economic matters - do these not impoverish the human person as much as, if not more than, the deprivation of material goods? And is development which does not take into account the full affirmation of these rights really development on the human level?”
The above author: Ioannes Paulus PP. II
Pope John Paul II
Here’s the link to the Vatican’s website so you can read it yourself:
http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/encyclicals/documents/hf_jp-ii_enc_30121987_sollicitudo-rei-socialis_en.html
My hope is that the Bishop will step back. He should not spend money on consultants. He should recognize SDACT
My fear is that the Bishop will act unilaterally and not recognize SDACT. The teachers only have the months from September to June to try and reverse the Bishop’s decision to deal with teachers through an employee council at individual schools.
Catholic School teachers make extraordinary sacrifices to teach our kids. At the very least they deserve to choose their own leaders and to bargain collectively. Parents make equally significant sacrifices to send their daughters and sons to our Catholic schools. Their stake in this issue should not be diminished.
As a product of Catholic education, let me say, “Thank you,” to the religious and lay teachers who provided me with my education and my parents who sacrificed to send me to a Catholic school.
I stand with the teachers.