Public Employee Press

Grievance wins back pay for Bronx School Lunch Aide

As a School Lunch Helper for the Dept. of Education, Daphine O'Garro has been making tasty and nutritious meals for thousands of children in the city's public school system since 1998. Her hard work was rewarded in 2005 with a promotion to School Lunch Aide.

"I love my job working with the kids," said O'Garro. But soon she found that management at IS 144 in the Bronx was frequently assigning her the duties of a Senior School Lunch Aide and Cook, planning menus and ordering supplies, in addition to her own job.

The Local 372 member contacted Schools Division Council Rep Vanessa Roberson, who filed a grievance over the out-of-title work, which violated the union contract.

Roberson met with Dept. of Education management to resolve the issue and convinced them that O'Garro was doing out-of-title work. On March 9, the department agreed to pay her retroactively the difference in salary between the two positions from Dec. 8, 2007, to March 28, 2009.

"The union did a great job, especially Ms. Roberson," said O'Garro. "Members have to keep their eyes open and trust their union to follow up like she did," Roberson said.