Rita Schwartz, president of the Association of Catholic Teachers Local 1776, said the current contract runs out at midnight Monday.
Classes for some 10,000 students at the 17 high schools across the archdiocese are set to begin Tuesday, Sept. 9.
“Things are going to have to start moving,” Schwartz said. “If they want to give us what is on the table now, I’ll tell you what the vote is. I wouldn’t even have to take a vote. I really wouldn’t, because it would not be acceptable to the teachers.
“It’s just unfortunate that we’re going down to the wire and nobody needs to do that right now.”
Last Thursday, about 70 teachers picketed outside the archdiocese headquarters on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.
Schwartz said both sides are set to meet by way of video conference for three days of talks this week, and she’s hoping to see some kind of movement.
She said she’s prepared to meet through the weekend and even on the Labor Day holiday to hammer out a deal.
“If it’s not done by Friday, if they want to continue talking, I never say no to continuing to talk,” Schwartz said. “To me, as long as we’re talking, that’s a good sign. I don’t know what will come out of it, but as long as we’re talking, better than if we’re not talking.”
She said she needs to have the final offer from the archdiocese to take to the teachers during a video conference meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 8.
The Archdiocese of Philadelphia did not respond to an email seeking comment.