Catholic School Teachers Call in Sick

Nearly all of the 375 unionized lay teachers at 10 high schools run by the Archdiocese of New York called in sick yesterday in a contract dispute.

Eight of the 10 schools, serving about 5,000 students in the city and northern suburbs, decided to send their students home early after 347 teachers represented by the Lay Faculty Association failed to show up for work, the archdiocese said.

An archdiocese spokesman, Joe Zwilling, said all the one-day sickout would do is disrupt the day for the students and cost teachers a day's wages.

The union business manager, Henry Kielkucki, defended the action.

"It's the best thing we've ever done," he said. "It's too bad that students lost education over it and that the teachers lost money. There's no reason that this couldn't be hammered out at the negotiating table."

The teachers have been without a contract since August 31.

Mr. Zwilling said the two sides last met with a mediator in December. He said the union rejected its "last, best and final" offer, which called for salary increases between 17% and 19.5% over three years, based on years of experience, for a top salary of $58,000. Top-paying teachers now make $54,000. The offer also called for teachers to contribute to the cost of their health care.

Mr. Kielkucki said the union was asking for a top salary of $60,000 for teachers who hold masters degrees or doctorates, and added that any raises would be lost to health care premiums.

In comparison, the top salary of a city public school teacher with a masters degree and 22 years on the job is $95,000. The average salary is $68,000.

Mr. Zwilling said the number of teachers who stayed out ranged widely from school to school.

Seven out of 39 teachers stayed out at John F. Kennedy High School in Somers in Westchester County, and 46 out of 52 called in sick at Our Lady of Lourdes in Poughkeepsie in Dutchess County.

Only Kennedy, and Moore Catholic High School on Staten Island, kept students for the entire school day.

A total of 420 teachers, including the 375 union members, work at the 10 schools in Manhattan, the Bronx, Staten Island, Goshen, Poughkeepsie, Hartsdale, White Plains and Somers.