Opinions on the Scranton Diocese Teacher Labor Union Debacle

[FightinPhils]

Originally Posted by Louis Lagana

Every one of the hundreds of child molesting pedophile priests should be fully prosecuted under the applicable state laws!!!

I agree with you there, but that is apples and oranges. Completely different issue, and like I said, priests are no more likely to be sex offenders than other occupations, its just that the media jumps all over an opportunity to smear the Church and Christianity.

Actually, that is a reason that I like Bishop Martino so far....he hasn't shuffled around any priests accused of sexual misconduct. Any priests even suspected of a sex crime has been defrocked and handed over to the authorities. The prior Bishop, Bishop Timlin, basically ingnored the problem. Timlin also let the school system degrade to what it had become and left all the hard decisions to Martino, essentially making him the bad guy.

[johnqpublic]

[quote=MrKrabs;3012797]It obviously about the $$$ for the teachers....they don't care how much they drain from services the diocese provides to the poor, as long as they get their Cadillac benefits and Luigi and Guido at the union hall get their cut.

They provide a valuable service, teaching the children within the doctrine of the church. They are part of the church. they ARE the poor, the church should take care of its own before it looks out for others
My crystal ball says that if this issue isnt setteled the demise of the catholic school system is near. You heard it here first !!

[FightinPhils]

Originally Posted by johnqpublic

They provide a valuable service, teaching the children within the doctrine of the church. They are part of the church. they ARE the poor, the church should take care of its own before it looks out for others
My crystal ball says that if this issue isnt setteled the demise of the catholic school system is near. You heard it here first !!

I think they should just get rid of the Catholic school system. Let kids get their religious instruction at Church and in CCD classes. The Catholic schools are almost exclusively staffed by lay teachers anyways. They have become unaffordable for the low and middle income Catholics, essentially becoming exclusive schools for the well-off who feel that their kids are above going to public school with the "common folk."

[johnqpublic]

I somewhat agree. I dont think the catholic school system will last another decade. especially in this area... older population that isnt a childbearing group, and a big decline of younger people attending church.

[trotter]

I went to catholic schools my whole life in this area and what was once a great place to raise a family is a joke. The teachers want union representation but as a parent of six schoool age kids I have no representation. I am handed with a tuition hike every year. I beg to differ with the blanket statement catholic teachers teach in these schools to promote the faith. I have experienced many instances where faith could not be in the classroom based on how some children are treated by these teachers. I would love to know if they are here for promoting their faith, how many applications have they submitted to the public schools for a postion there. We have teachers leave right in the middle of the school year with no notice. How fair is that to us. Yet we as parents keep paying, never expecting what the government gives to the public school, to ever be given to us because it is only fair!! We make choices!!! CHOICES!! Why because we feel it is important for our children to here the word GOD in their day. If the teachers need the unions to feel like they are treated fairly. Quit and apply to the public schools. Don't join an organization and change the rules. You should post your union contracts in the paper so the parents can really see what you get for 9 months work. No one is saying your work is not valuable, what we are saying is you took the job with the catholic church knowing the pay is low and that is because we get no support form the government. Plain and simple. Or did you take the job till you get a position with a public school. If so leave. because I can tell the bishop is not putting in applications every year to the public schools and leaving this financial mess to the parents who are struggling to deal with the increases in tuition. Maybe the teachers would be better served if they unionized to petition the government for school vouchers to help subsidized the burden on the parents who in the end will pay for the union. This is the only place I can see a dramatic increase to their wages. If not teachers be careful what you wish for because there are not enough tax dollars or teaching positions in this area if you ultimately are the demise of the catholic schools in this area. Because When I last checked we are not a raging economy in scranton pa. In the end people look inside you heart not your wallet. This is evil in every form. I here people bashing the church over the molestation, catholics more than any other group. Why because the others know it is such a small number compared to sex offenders in the public schools. That bashing has lead to the demise of the preisthood, mind you the only ones God gave the power to transform for body and bolod of Christ. Now in order to rid the world of catholism is to make sure young children never hear the word of God except when there is no basketball game and they can get to church. You people can bring a medical school here, the Yankees, spruce up the buildings, but what will matter in the end is did you build the Kingdom of God. Last I checked being treated fairly was not what Jesus asked His Father for before he was nailed to the cross. Teaching in the catholic school is what you chose to do. With it comes graces no union could ever provide you with.