Posted on 07/06/2005 5:34:03 PM PDT by sanormal
HARLINGEN, Texas (AP) -- Members of what is believed to be the first workers' union in a Roman Catholic church say church leaders are trying to break the labor contract and undermine the union.
About 50 lay workers at five churches in the Diocese of Brownsville had signed with the United Farm Workers in 2003. But the union says membership is down to about 30 because of the absorption of one church into another and a pastor's pressure on workers at another. A church tribunal is considering whether a new pastor has to abide by the contract.
"During the two years since Aug. 18, 2003, the agreement signed before Judge Ramirez has been broken, and the employees in the diocese and at Holy Spirit have suffered terribly," Rebecca Flores, a spokeswoman for the workers, wrote in a news release.
The workers were under a confidentiality agreement pending the decision of the tribunal.
There are now only three unionized churches, with membership down from about 50 to about 30. Flores, speaking for the workers, said the Rev. Louis Brum, the newest pastor at Holy Spirit Parish in McAllen, hasn't met with them to begin healing and offered raises to maintenance workers who quit the union.
Brenda Nettle Riojas, spokeswoman for the diocese, said Brum denied that allegation. She said he told her the only time he talked to employees about the union was when an employee asked if he could be taken out of the union because he couldn't afford the dues.
Riojas said the diocese wasn't sure why the workers were upset.
"We do have a grievance procedure in place, they were notified of the judges, and healing is taking place every single Sunday at Mass," she said.
A church tribunal is scheduled to announce in September whether an incoming pastor needs to be bound by the union contract signed by his predecessor.
Riojas said the diocese is following church procedure and that church attendance remains strong.
Brownsville Bishop Raymundo Pena has repeatedly denied allegations he is anti-union through a diocese spokeswoman and through letters posted on his Web site.
The dispute dates to 2000, when Pena switched pension plans for lay workers in the diocese to save money.
Some workers went to the United Farm Workers union for advice. The United Farm Workers helped the workers draw up labor contracts that were signed by pastors at five churches in May 2002.
The union drew praise from liberal Catholic church groups like Call to Action, which said they church was applying its own teachings about workers' rights in its own backyard.
"The Catholic Church has always been at the forefront of supporting workers, yet I don't know of any group of employees that is treated more unfairly than the employees of the Catholic Church," Call to Action spokeswoman Linda Pieczynski said.
David Garza, an attorney for the diocese, said then that the church wasn't sure the civilian concept of a union applied to a religious organization with a religious mission.
In June 2003, a new pastor arrived for his first day at Holy Spirit Parish in McAllen with what workers said was a fistful of termination notices for workers.
The action tore the parish in the months that followed, with workers and their supporters boycotting weekly mass, instead staging vigils in front of the church.
Holy Spirit got another new pastor. The Rev. Ruben Delgado, the previous pastor, was reassigned.
Riojas, the diocesan spokeswoman, said more than 3,000 families at Holy Spirit participate in what is again a vibrant parish.
"It's a parish that is coming together and flourishing. Healing is happening every Sunday," she said.
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On the Net:
Diocese of Brownsville: http://www.cdob.org/
United Farm Workers: http://www.ufw.org/
Sounds like a legal issue to me. If the contract is written between the Union and the church, or if the contract is written between the specific pastor and the Union are the key points.
I'm not a laywer, but it seems that an agent for the church (that would be the pastor) entered into a legally binding agreement with a Union. If both parties were empowered to make that kind of decision, I don't see how the church has much footing. The law should be constant, whether between businesses, private parties, or any other institution.
What are the churches employing farm workers for? Landscaping? My parish has volunteers for the lawn and garden.
For a chronology of the events: http://www.cta-usa.org/responses/brownsville/firings.html
Most lay employees are secretaries or groundskeepers who have worked for the diocese for many years. The United Farm Workers unionized many when, in 2003, the bishop eliminated the pensions of all lay employees.
Nevermind every single lay employee of Vatican City is a union member. Suddenly, when the bishops are faced with unions in their own backyard, bishops are opposed to them.
Interesting, thanks!
Is Texas a right to work state?
Indeed it is.
Assuming they didn't go to mass at another parish, this says a lot.
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