Two Clarkston High School custodians, fired by school administrators March 9, and included on an April 5 school board personnel report, claim they were fired unjustly in ‘retaliation? for their union-related activities.
Steve Partlo, an 18-year-employee and custodian representative to the Clarkston Association of Support Personnel (CLASP), and Diana Webb, a five-year employee who works with Partlo, will appeal their termination to the Michigan Education Association, but they say their union hasn’t been much help, either.
‘These two terminations were a retaliation against us for what I’m trying to do as a union rep. to straighten things out there,? Partlo said last Friday, going public with a case the board of education voted not to investigate despite a motion from Trustee Tony Miller.
‘I got fired because Steve did. We worked together. When I hired in, I was told basically to stay away from him,? Webb said Monday. ‘It’s been ongoing harassment.?
Linda Nester, executive director of personnel and auxiliary services, previously said she could not comment on the case because it is a personnel matter, but said the district is following contractual procedures.
Attempts to reach district administrators Monday and Tuesday were unsuccessful.
Bill Murray, director of the eastern zone of the MEA, was also tight-lipped on the matter.
‘It’s true they were fired for alleged performance issues,? Murray said Tuesday. ‘We’re representing them in the normal way.?
CLASP President Nikki Roy said, ‘They’ve got a grievance for sure. They were fired with no just cause.?
Partlo said he and Webb were notified of their termination March 9, based on allegations made on March 1. Identical letters from Bruce Beamer, executive director of business and financial services, listed 18 ‘just causes,? including insubordination, failure to follow directions, failure to return to work, use of threatening words and profanity toward a supervisor, smoking on school grounds, inciting another employee to be insubordinate and conspiring with another employee to leave work without approval.
Partlo and Webb have a different version of the story, and Roy said there were no other witnesses other than the building’s lead custodian.
‘There’s no proof to anything. It’s all hearsay,? Roy said. ‘They got fired on hearsay.?
Webb said, ‘I went home sick from the harassment.? and was advised by Roy to go to a medical clinic. ‘They put us off work for three days because of extreme anxiety and elevated blood pressure.?
At the meeting at which they received their termination notice, Webb said administrators refused to look at a doctor’s note concerning the leave.
‘I have one writeup in my personnel file in the five years I’ve been there,? Webb said.
Partlo admits he’s had more than one, but attributes that to his position. He and Roy have been involved in defending another custodian who was fired about two years ago but reached a settlement with the district and has since returned to work.
‘I never should have become a union rep,? he said. ‘I’ve been written up twice a year for the last five years.?
Even then, Partlo said administrators failed to follow contract procedures, which require three ‘warnings? before termination.
‘There’s none of these 18 charges that they can terminate us for,? he said. ‘There’s a procedure they have to go through. They can’t just skip three steps and fire us.?
Webb and Partlo received a required appeals hearing before Superintendent Al Roberts, who ruled the termination was fair and was not a case of ‘retaliation.?
Now they await arbitration, which should be scheduled this summer but may not come until fall. They receive neither pay nor benefits while they wait.
‘After awhile it gets kind of frustrating. The MEA doesn’t want to help me,? Partlo said. While he has sympathy for Webb, ‘They can’t starve me to death because I have a savings account.?
Prior to their firing, CLASP had filed two grievances with the Michigan Employment Relations Commission, one against the school district and one against the MEA, both concerning previous conflicts involving second shift high school custodians. Hearings on those grievances are scheduled Aug. 31, Partlo said.
‘It’s like a vicious circle,? Roy said. ‘The only ones we have working for us in the union are these two. It’s like fighting both sides.?
Partlo said the district has complained of financial difficulties, but will have to pay at least $5,000 for each arbitration case, not counting the settlement with the formerly-fired custodian.
‘They’ve done all this crying about not having money. They’re talking about pay-to-play,? he said. ‘It’s going to be a lot of money? to deal with these grievances.
The failure of the school board to review the matter does not sit well with Webb.
‘They don’t know the custodians,? she said. ‘For them to take somebody’s word that somebody’s being terminated without asking questions, it’s pathetic.?
‘You’re guilty until you’re proven innocent, and that’s wrong,? Roy said. ‘Who’s next??
Partlo said he has been warned in the past concerning public comments on labor disputes, but he feels he has no other option.
‘What do I have to lose? What are they going to do, fire me??