Teachers at four city Catholic schools walked off the job Friday over the state of their contract negotiations.
About 90 teachers are set to take part in today's strike at St. Jean Baptiste High School in Manhattan, Notre Dame Academy High School and Our Lady Queen of Peace School on Staten Island, and St. Thomas Aquinas School in the Bronx.
All four schools are within the New York Archdiocese and remained open during the strike.
The Federation of Catholic Teachers says it has filed unfair labor practice charges against the Archdiocese's Association of Catholic Schools.
The union says its members were told in a letter that if they accept a one percent wage hike, the Archdiocese could be forced to close up to 10 more schools per year.
"We love our children, we love our parents, we love our principal, we don't understand why the archdiocese doesn't love us enough to take care of us anymore," said Fran Pinto, a teacher at Our Lady Queen of Peace School.
"Hire them at one percent then hold it over their head that if we give it to you have to close more schools? Not right," said Antoinette Coleman, a Bronx parent.
An Archdiocese spokesman tells NY1 eligible full time teachers already get step increases each year averaging 1.8 percent. And a guarantee by the Archdiocese not to close schools was based on sticking to those increases.
Teachers, though, say less than half of the teachers can claim those step increases and that they are capped after a certain number of years of service.
Teachers say they plan to continue more one day strikes and maybe even appeal for support from Pope Francis, himself once a teacher who recently commented that teachers should be paid more.
Last year, KPMG said the Archdiocese operates at a $26 million deficit.
As for the unfair practice complaint, Archdiocesan officials believe they will be vindicated.
Another meeting with the union is scheduled for next Wednesday.