If I didn’t have a union, I wouldn’t be working today.
I became a paraprofessional because I just love helping people. Working with kids and making sure they were learning was a great feeling. Then I came to work one day, and all of a sudden I got a call to come down to the office. They told me I had to leave the school premises immediately. I didn’t know what was going on. Then I found out there were accusations against me for touching students.
I was shocked, dumbfounded and angry at the same time. I thought, “There’s no way.” I was getting blamed for something I would never do.
I was suspended without pay while there was an investigation. The investigator found that the kids were lying, that they told different stories. He also found that I was a genuine, honest person. But my principal went ahead with termination.
My wife and I had a newborn son. I thought, “How am I going to pay my bills?” I lost everything. We were forced to move in with my mother. My car was repossessed.
I filed a grievance to get my job back. Michael Herron in the UFT’s grievance department listened to me. He knew I didn’t do anything wrong, and I trusted him. I felt like he was going to bat for me and that’s why I stuck with it.
The arbitrator found that my termination was not warranted. He reinstated me and awarded me full back pay for the three years I was unemployed. It felt great. My new school is treating me well and I’m starting all over again, going back to school to become a teacher in speech or an occupational therapist.
The union worked hard for my case. They rooted for me. I’m just glad to have a union.
Brett Picou is a paraprofessional at PS 270 in Queens.
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