News

June 13, 2009

Union files grievance over firing of LIU speech therapist

Judy Williams waives right to hearing before board, will take case to arbitration.

By Mark Guydish mguydish@timesleader.com
Education Reporter
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KINGSTON – The teacher’s union has filed a grievance and plans to file an unfair labor practice complaint against the Luzerne Intermediate Unit for firing veteran speech therapist Judy Williams, union spokesman Paul Shemansky said.

During a meeting Wednesday, the LIU board of directors voted to terminate Williams, who has been with the agency for about 25 years. LIU Executive Director Michael Ostrowski said he could not comment on the reasons. Solicitor Michael Butera said Williams had waived her right to a hearing before the LIU board and would take her case directly to arbitration.

Shemansky said Friday the union has filed a grievance contending the firing was unfounded, and will file an unfair labor complaint with the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board. The complaint alleges that Williams was fired under a disciplinary policy adopted by the LIU board but “not negotiated with the union as it was supposed to be.”

Ostrowski said the issue is the board’s “progressive discipline policy,” which was created and adopted after the union had complained no such policy existed. Ostrowski said he asked union representatives to sit down and discuss the policy, but the two sides never got together.

“When the board adopted the progressive discipline policy, as many organizations have, the union indicated it should be negotiated,” Ostrowski said, “I offered to negotiate several times, and they’ve never done it.” More importantly, Ostrowski said, “the incident she was involved in has nothing to do with the progressive discipline policy; it has to do with state school codes.”

The LIU provides a variety of services to area school districts, primarily special education. The board of directors is comprised of representatives of each of the 12 districts covered by the LIU.

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