Board of Education Employees Local 372 used the grievance procedure to beat back false charges and win more than $6,000 in back pay for member Shirley McKenzie.

Ms. McKenzie was terminated from her job as a School Aide at P.S. 224 in Brooklyn in May 1999 when she was wrongfully accused of using corporal punishment on a student.

"The school district never submitted any kind of documentation proving that this happened before she was terminated. She was not given a full hearing," said Council Rep Yolanda Johnson.

The local filed a grievance with the Board of Education. When the third step of the grievance procedure was ignored, Local 372 submitted a Grievance Panel Appeal to the Board in September 1999.

After an arbitration hearing on Jan. 14, the Board agreed to rescind Ms. McKenzie's discharge. She received full back pay and benefits from the date of her termination in May 1999 through March 2000, when she obtained other employment.

The back wages totaled $6,704. The Board of Education also agreed to eliminate all references to the alleged corporal punishment incident from her file.

"There is a process in place to address these issues and to protect our members," said Local 372 President Veronica Montgomery Costa.

"We're glad that we were able to step in and help Ms. McKenzie," she said.