Catherwood LibraryILR School

After almost a year of intense negotiations and a five-week strike this past winter (see WIT for Nov. 29, 2001), the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York and the 450 members of the Lay Faculty Association who teach at the ten Catholic high schools owned directly by the Archdiocese have reached a tentative contract settlement. Pressure on the Archdiocese to settle the contract has mounted as it cancelled a major fundraiser over threats of a teacher picket, was found guilty of bargaining in bad faith by the state labor board, and faced the threat of another strike at the beginning of the coming school year. A September 10 ratification vote is scheduled for the agreement, which keeps health care costs to teachers at current levels, and includes large increases in employer contributions to the teachers? annuity plans, and retroactive raises of three percent annually for the first two years of the contract, and five percent in the final year.