NewsNet5.comNews
EducationEmploymentAutoHealthHealth ExpertsHouse And HomeWEDDINGSHomeTown ExpertsLegalCleveland247Real EstateDatingTravelFamily


E-Mail News Alerts
Get breaking news and daily headlines.
Browse all e-mail newsletters

Landscaping Controversy Growing In Local Suburb

School Custodians Want Paid For Work Volunteers Did

POSTED: 7:25 p.m. EDT May 23, 2002

A controversy is growing in Brooklyn -- literally growing.

Brooklyn tree

NewsChannel5's Leon Bibb reported that the uproar is about trees and bushes and shrubs and how they got planted.

Students at Roadoan Elementary School thought it would be appropriate to plant a tree to help remember an 8-year-old classmate who died of a brain aneurysm. The idea grew, and local landscapers heard about it.

"And so they came to volunteer their services over there," said Gretchen Derethik, principal of Brooklyn High School.

They even brought enough plants to beautify Brooklyn High.

But school custodians -- who are landscapers -- filed a grievance, claiming it was their work to do -- not volunteers'. They argued that they should get overtime pay for the work volunteers did.

"It is (the work of the union)," Pat Kirlough said. "It's in our contract, and that's what it says."

At Tuesday's Brooklyn School Board meeting, tempers were hot.

Brooklyn administrators wouldn't talk about the grievance itself, saying only that the planting was a volunteer effort.

"The landscapers did not come as a landscaping company," Derethik said. "(They came) because their son was a friend of the young boy who passed away over at Roadoan."

"I'm sorry, but you can't pick and choose what you take out of the job description and then call it volunteerism," Kirlough said.

There is agreement on one point. Both sides said that it was right to honor the memory of the 8-year-old student who died.





Links We Like

Sponsored Content
Employers generally have options when it comes to hiring. Makes sure you present yourself as professionally as possible, or else. More Details

You can pick your friends, but not your family -- or your neighbors. Here's what you need to know about how to deal with yours. More Details

It was bound to happen. There are now applications for your cell phone that can help you avoid speeding tickets as well as traffic jams. Drive carefully. More Details

Are you often tired or rushed in the morning? Give your morning habits a makeover, and start the day feeling positive and energetic instead. More Details


Sponsored Links

Credit Report

560? 675? 720? The average US Credit Score is 692. What is your score? See it online for FREE! More Details

Experian

Sponsor


Find Local Businesses