Teacher 'Sickout' Costs Kids at St. Margaret's a Day in Class

At 8:10 a.m. on Friday, the students of St. Margaret of Cortona assembled in the gymnasium because only 4 of their 15 teachers had come in to work. The rest called in sick as part of a region-wide sickout prompted by continuing salary and benefit negotiations with the Archdiocese.

“We are dedicated. We are here because we want to teach in a Catholic school, and all we are asking for is a fair contract,” said John Franco, who has taught math to grades fifth through eighth for the past two years.

The teachers of St. Margaret’s, represented by the Federation of Catholic Teachers, have been part of ongoing salary discussions with the Archdiocese since their contracts ended in August.

Whether there will be future sickouts remains to be seen, according to Franco, but other teachers predicted more missed days if a contract is not signed soon.

In total, 210 teachers at fourteen schools in New York City and Westchester County called in sick on Friday. All teachers who were involved in the sickout will be docked a day’s pay, said Archdiocese spokesman Joseph Zwilling.

“This is not a strike. The teachers are not feeling well today,” said a representative on Friday from the Federation of Catholic Teachers, which represents 3,200 teachers at 230 schools.

Along with the Lay Faculty Association, which represents 450 teachers, both unions have allegedly rejected two contracts that would either cause increase health care costs and would only extend for one year.

“There is a lot of us here because we believe in the Catholic education, even though we could make a lot more money at a public school,” said Franco. “[The Archdiocese] should at least pay us enough to break even. We don’t mind paying for our medical benefits so long as our raise is enough to cover the additional costs.”

A former Wall Street investor, Franco decided to begin teaching after he learned of the shortage of math teachers in Catholic schools.

“I went to Catholic school my whole life from kindergarten to graduate school, and before I began teaching, I was a successful businessman,” said Franco, who also sent his three children now in their twenties to Catholic schools. “So I am a product of a great Catholic school education.”

To fill in for the missing teachers, substitutes like Home School Association President Cindy Ward were called in to watch over sections of St. Margaret’s 350 students at 7:45 a.m. after learning of the sickout.

At 11:30 when Ward dismissed students, some parents and guardians were unaware that the sickout had even occurred, while others expressed support for the teachers.

“I hope it won’t affect my children’s education. However, I have sympathy for their demands of increased wages,” said Eileen Wallace, whose children are in the seventh, fourth, and second grades.

Many parents were also grateful that the sickout fell on the first Friday of the month, a day when children are dismissed at 11:30 a.m. And despite the teachers’ absences, after school programs at St. Margaret’s were held as usual.

“I think the teachers need to do whatever they need to get a fair salary,” said Ward. “The parents here are definitely on the teachers’ side, and so is the administration.”

Since midway through the semester, St. Margaret’s teachers have been holding informational picketing every morning outside the school concerning their salary and benefits negotiations.

“We’ve dedicated ourselves to teaching, and we don’t want to picket every morning anymore,” said Franco.

Friday’s absences were the first sickout for St. Margaret’s teachers since August, but members of the Federation of Catholic Teachers and the Lay Faculty Association have held two sickouts on Dec. 14 and 17.

On Dec. 29, a spokesman for the Lay Faculty Association told the Daily News that the offer for a 3 percent raise for one year with no increases in health care cost was unacceptable because the contract was only stipulated for one year.

“From the teachers I spoke to, we think it would be a fair contract if it was for two years or more,” said Franco. “One year is really only eight months; it’s not worth it. We will be back out picketing again in eight months.”

A first offer by Archdiocese of 1 percent raise for two years and a 2 percent raise for the third year was rejected by both unions because the contract would have substantially raised health care premiums.

“Teachers are very dedicated, and they are not paid enough, especially Catholic school teachers,” said Wallace.
The average salary of teachers in the Federation of Catholic Teachers is $36,000. The average salary for a public school teacher in the Riverdale and Fordham sections of the Bronx is $52,570, according to the New York State Education Department.

“Unfortunately for parents, [Catholic school] teachers are paid better where tuition is a bit higher,” Wallace added.

Published in The Riverdale Review on January 13, 2005