On August 30, 2011, the Association of Catholic Teachers made a request for a mediator in its negotiations with the Office of Catholic Education for its secondary schools. We have been negotiating since March 25, 2011.

We did not expect this request because the Association leadership previously emphatically stated that these negotiations would be done only by the teams of negotiators present at the bargaining table. We find the Association's position to be inconsistent with the above statement. In addition, no mediator has ever been utilized to reach a contract settlement in the history of our negotiations dating back decades.

There are unique and substantive issues involving the operation of our secondary Catholic schools that are a part of these negotiations. This is not the typical contract negotiation where the issues are primarily limited to financial matters, such as salary and benefits. The issues at stake are critical for our teachers, our students and our parents if our schools are to continue their tradition of excellence into the future. We cannot agree to the request for an outside mediator.

The Office of Catholic Education remains committed to bargaining in good faith and to reaching a settlement. We appeal to the Association of Catholic Teachers to devote the time needed to seriously negotiate the issues at hand. We believe as committed professionals on both sides of the table we can work to reach a fair and just agreement to ensure an excellent value-centered academic program for the 21st century.

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Editor's Note: The contract currently under negotiation will affect 711 lay teachers. In the five-county Philadelphia region 16,502 students attend 17 Archdiocesan high schools (as of the 2010-2011 school year). For a complete list of schools in the Archdiocese, please visit www.catholicschools-phl.org.

Contact
Donna M. Farrell
Director of Communications
215-587-3747