In a matter of months, the union representing maintenance, custodial and cafeteria workers at Kansas City Public Schools went from a cordial relationship with the district to filing seven class-action grievances.
The grievances include allegations that the district hasn’t delivered all raises laid out in the latest labor contract, has disciplined workers for using leave they’re entitled to and didn’t give them orientation they were promised, said Rose Welch, the lead organizer for Service Employees International Union Local 1 in Kansas City.
Some of the grievances affect all 350 to 400 members of the union at KCPS, Welch said. Other complaints focus on a smaller group of workers but could have wider implications, such as a chilling effect against using leave.
Normally, problems that come up can be solved through a less formal grievance process. But lately, Welch said, the union escalated the disputes to formal class-action grievances.
After failing to resolve the pay issue more informally, the union is invoking a state law that lets any workers shorted on pay get damages equal to twice the amount they’re owed, Welch said. If the grievances aren’t resolved, the next step would be binding and costly arbitration.
...
KENNESAW, Ga. (InvestigateTV) - A Kennesaw homeowner discovered someone filed a fraudulent insurance claim for fire damage on her renovated home, sparking a months-long battle to clear her record a...