Catholic Schools Selecting Representatives for Employee Councils
 

The employee relations program that will cover teachers and support staff in Diocesan Catholic schools is proceeding with the selection of representatives from each school who will serve on the Employee Councils in the four regional school systems.

The Employee Councils will include Wage and Benefit Committees, Health Care Sub-Committees and Grievance Committees.

These groups will meet on a regular basis with members of the Regional System Boards, officials from the Diocesan Catholic Schools Office and the Diocesan human resources director to discuss wages, benefits, and grievances.

This week, principals in each school are coordinating the selection process whereby the employees will choose their faculty and support representatives. The faculty members will represent varying levels of seniority.

The representatives for each school will be chosen by their peers through a secret ballot process. Terms for members of the Employee Councils will be developed by and mutually agreed to by the System Boards and Employee Councils.

Employee Council representatives for the Holy Cross, Holy Redeemer, and St. John Neumann Systems will be chosen by Feb. 7. The Notre Dame Board’s review of the employee relations program is pending.

The representatives will attend an orientation session on Feb. 8. The orientation will provide information from Diocesan officials as well as representatives from Parente/HR Services, a human resource consulting firm that is being retained to specifically deal with the area of compensation; and Elite Brokerage Services, Inc., a company that will serve as a neutral expert to assist all parties in achieving established health care goals and objectives.

The employee relations program will ensure that the employees will have a voice in future discussions about wages, benefits and grievances.

The employee relations program will bring a consistent format to the entire school system. It will cover teachers as well as aides, administrators, office staff, food service and maintenance personnel. Employees at all schools will be able to provide input through their representatives on the Employee Councils and the various committees for wages and benefits, health care, and grievances.

The program also will ensure that a strong Catholic identity is maintained in the schools within an atmosphere of meaningful dialogue and sincere collaboration.

This program fulfills the Diocese of Scranton’s commitment to fair and just treatment of all of its employees. The provision of affordable Catholic education continues to be the Diocesan goal in which all are called to cooperate.