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Public
Employee Press Union
reverses school firing after ridiculous charges
Local
372 succeeded in reversing the November 2007 firing of Ronald Harris, a highly
regarded Family Worker at PS 46 in Brooklyn who had over a dozen years on the
job. The schools principal terminated the union shop steward based on allegations
of misconduct, insubordination and disregarding procedures.
He was
accused of some things that were ridiculous, said attorney Mitchel Craner.
Harris noticed that when he became the schools Local 372 shop steward, managements
attitude toward him began to change for the worse.
Soon after his termination,
the union filed a grievance on his behalf. The Step I and Step II hearings were
held in January 2008, but no decision was rendered.
On March 2, an arbitration
panel was scheduled to hear the grievance, but the union and the Dept. of Education
reached a resolution of the case.
DC 37 agreed to withdraw the demand for
arbitration, and the DOE agreed to rescind the discharge, reinstate Harris to
his original position with no loss of seniority and award him back pay of $10,000.
Harris
returned to work in March at Paths High School in Brooklyn. The principal
here lets me do my job, he said.
The students at the performing arts
school were so happy with his work that more than two dozen of the graduating
seniors presented Harris with a large pillowcase that they had signed, thanking
him for making a difference in their lives.
Ive only worked
at that school for three months, said the deeply moved Family Worker.
Harris
admits that he became a little frustrated with the grievance process, but he thanked
Schools Division Council Rep Russell Johnson for helping him get his job back.
Johnson and Craner did a great job, said Harris. They renewed
my faith in the union.
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