For immediate release: August 20, 2015

Contact: Gina Jaeger, 415-378-1201, or Lisa Dole, 415-299-2084

San Francisco, CA—Yesterday a majority of members of the San Francisco Archdiocesan Federation of Teachers, AFT Local 2240, voted to ratify a new contract agreement between the faculty union and the Archdiocese of San Francisco.

The close vote, 90-80, reflected divisions among faculty and the broader community after the Archdiocese administration proposed new language that would have declared teachers to be “ministers,” language that, if implemented, would have placed the teachers outside the protections of the National Labor Relations Act.

Negotiations commenced last October 2014, and continued for an unusually long period. Discussions with the administration continued until July.

The tentative agreement includes a salary increase of seven and a half percent over three years, maintenance of health care, and new contract language safeguarding employee rights related to personal conduct. The language makes clear that questions regarding teacher conduct on and off the job are subject to the collective bargaining grievance procedure, and are not the sole province of administrative fiat. The language was vetted through California Federation of Teachers attorneys, ensuring compliance with protective labor laws.

“The negotiations have been an arduous process, testing the resolve of our executive board and membership,” said union president Gina Jaeger. “But union democracy provided a firm foundation for our discussions. I am very proud of our union for standing tall in support of dignity and fairness. Now it is time to heal after a tumultuous year.”

Jaeger added that now that the long negotiations have finished, teachers will able to return their focus to education, “in particular providing our students with a supportive and accepting community where they can thrive.”

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AFT Local 2240 represents faculty in four high schools under San Francisco Archdiocesan jurisdiction, including Archbishop Riordan, Sacred Heart Preparatory, both in San Francisco; Marin Catholic in Kentfield; and Junipero Serra in San Mateo. CFT represents 120,000 educational employees at every level of the education system. More info: www.cft.org