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 school’s 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 school’s Local 372 shop steward, management’s 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.

“I’ve 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.”