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Barrack Continued from Page 1
Local 3505, met to discuss the
future of union representation
at the school,” the statement
said. “The Board communi-
cated to the Union’s representa-
tives that, as of the expiration of
the current contract in August
2019, it will withdraw recogni-
tion from the Union.

“The Board asked the Union
to join it in a collaborative tran-
sition. The Union is conferring
with its members to discuss
the Board’s request, and it is
anticipated that the parties will
sit down again, in the very near
future, to determine how to
move forward. Both sides want
to assure all members of the
Barrack community that they
are committed to seeing this
process through in a manner
that does not impair the qual-
ity of the educational experi-
ence for students.”
Gordon said the decision
will best position the school in
carrying out its mission.

The board, he noted,
informed the union of its deci-
sion months in advance in
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JANUARY 24, 2019
order to be transparent and
cooperative. “As reflected in the Joint
Statement, the Barrack Board
informed the Union that, as
of the expiration of the cur-
rent contract in August 2019, it
would be withdrawing recog-
nition of the Union,” Gordon
said in an email. “We believe
that this decision best posi-
tions the school to continue
our unique mission of incor-
porating deeply-rooted Jewish
values in a rigorous intellectual
environment. “Rather than waiting for the
current contract to expire to
inform the Union of its decision,
the Barrack Board informed
the Union in December 2018
so as to be transparent with
the hope that we will be able to
work together towards a mutu-
ally-agreeable transition.”
Stephen Richman, manag-
ing partner at Markowitz &
Richman — which specializes
in labor, employment, injury
and workers’ compensation law
— said that without a union
the school could reduce teach-
ers’ benefits or offer different
benefits to different teachers.

Unions give employees secu-
rity and protection and can
be helpful, Richman said, but
some people don’t like unions
or don’t want to have a partner
in deciding how to run things.

“Whatever benefits the
teachers have — I really don’t
know the details of it — they
didn’t grow on a tree,” Richman
said. “They were negotiated,
and the employees gave up
something to get something
else. That’s just the way negoti-
ations work.”
In lieu of its own state-
ment, the school pointed to
Gordon’s comment.

The presidents of the par-
ent-teacher organization also
referred to Gordon, as well as to
Alex Stroker, Barrack’s chief oper-
ating and development officer.

Ziskind said the teachers
want to keep the union. She
added that union members are
still in discussions following
the joint statement.

JEWISH EXPONENT
Jack M. Barrack Hebrew Academy’s board plans to withdraw recognition
of the school’s teachers union in August.

Google Maps screenshot
“The teachers want to keep
the union for the good of the
students and the good of the
school, so we’re exploring
options,” she said.

But those options may not
be too bright, based on what
occurred when Perelman
Jewish Day School’s board
withdrew recognition of its
union five years ago, according
to Richman.

In 2014, AFT Pennsylvania,
an affiliate of the American
Federation of Teachers, filed
charges with the National
Labor Relations Board after
the Perelman board’s deci-
sion to withdraw recogni-
tion. Perelman argued that
the NLRB lacked jurisdiction
because it is a religious institu-
tion, and the agency dismissed
the charges.

“Jewish day school educa-
tion is essential for a strong
and vibrant Jewish com-
munity,” Perelman board
President Ruth Horowitz said
in an email. “Barrack Hebrew
Academy has outstanding
teachers and administrators.

We look forward to a posi-
tive outcome as we advance
our mission on behalf of
our students.”
While teachers unions in
public schools continue to
remain strong — and have
fallen under criticism for
putting teachers’ needs over
students — the NLRB does
not “assert jurisdiction over
employees of a religious orga-
nization who are involved in
effectuating the religious pur-
pose of the organization, such
as teachers in church-operated
schools,” according to its site.

Barbara Goodman, AFT
Pennsylvania communica-
tions director, said it is up to
the union to decide whether it
wants to file charges, but AFT
Pennsylvania will support that
decision either way.

“We believe that every
teacher, every school counselor,
every school employee has the
right to join a union and bar-
gain collectively,” Goodman
said. “Whether they are at a
public school, a private school,
a charter school, employees
should be able to choose.”
Unions have
become increasingly rare at Jewish
day schools over the years, the
Forward reported in an article
soon after the Perelman case.

“But with its strong union,”
the Forward wrote, “Barrack
is an outlier among American
Jewish day schools.”
That no longer seems to be
the case.

“Most religious organiza-
tions, whether it’s the Catholic
church or the Jewish organi-
zations, they’re all in favor of
supporting working people and
working people’s rights, except
when it’s in their own house,”
Richman said. “Then they don’t
like it so much anymore.” l
szighelboim@jewishexponent.com; 215-832-0729
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM