The San Francisco Archdiocesan Federation of Teachers began on Nov. 15, 1971 when lay teachers from seven Archdiocesan high schools went on strike for higher wages. Currently, the organization consists of a group of roughly 180 like-minded teachers, counselors, and librarians. 

In April of 2022, the union and the Archdiocese successfully negotiated and came to an agreement to establish a new contract. According to Social Science Department Chair and union rep Cory Nelson, “[the contract] includes salary increases that reflect a proper living wage, and better health benefits for teachers with children and families.”

Associate superintendent for secondary schools and student services of the Archdiocese of San Francisco Jonathan Schild said, “Generally each contract is for a three-year term. The new contract term will be good through the 2024-25 school year.”

Math instructor and site union rep Mary Ann Datoc said, “My reason for being a union member is to advocate for the rights and needs of my fellow teachers while working to strengthen the relationship between teachers and our school’s administration.” 

Through this alliance, teachers have a platform where they are enabled to voice their personal needs and support their colleagues.  

“I agree with what the teacher’s union is negotiating for because teachers work equally as hard and should be receiving recognition for the quality education they are providing for the students,” said Izabella Chan ’24. 

Recent inflation in the United States has generated a rapid increase in costs for rent, groceries, and gas, making it increasingly difficult for teachers to afford living in San Francisco. If living in the city becomes unaffordable for teachers, they will have to resort to living elsewhere. 

As a result of this financial predicament, Nelson stated, “The quality of the teacher applying to the school ends up going down if people are gonna go elsewhere to make more money.”

Schild emphasized the importance of maintaining qualified teachers at a school. He stated, “It should go without saying, that the more qualified and dedicated the teachers are at providing an excellent learning experience for students, the greater the overall success of the school will be. So having mission-centric faculty is vitally important to the success of a school.”

“We are grateful to our teachers and appreciate their work during these past challenging years.” He added, “We are also so pleased to have come to an agreement on a new contract.”