Public Employee Press

School Aide reinstated, gets $15,000 after unjust suspension

School Aide Arcadio Torres was unjustly suspended from his job at La Guardia High School in Manhattan when he was falsely accused of using excessive discipline.

Torres, a member of Local 372, was suspended Oct. 17, 2014.

After Torres was notified of the suspension, he contacted his shop steward at the school, who advised him to call his grievance rep, Andre Bullock. Bullock quickly filed a grievance on behalf of the School Aide, stating that the Dept. of Education had violated the collective bargaining agreement when they suspended him without a proper hearing. The grievance called for his immediate reinstatement.

Torres’ case went through Step 3 of the grievance process without being resolved.

The DOE then came to an agreement with DC 37 and on June 4 agreed to reinstate Torres. The DOE agreed with the union that Torres receive seniority and benefits for the period that he was suspended. It also agreed to compensate him $15,000 in back pay.

“The union did a great job of representing me and protecting my rights,” said Torres. He was represented by DC 37 Assistant General Counsel Jesse Gribben.

Torres has returned to his job at La Guardia High School. “It’s great to be back,” he said.