Suit filed against school for discrimination
Title
Suit filed against school for discrimination
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3
Vtmbh article author
Enrique Soria
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SEIU Local 32BJ filed a sexual discrimination lawsuit against the Chapin School, a private school, on behalf of two women workers. The union is up in arms because the women were intimidated and dismissed from their jobs for attempting to join the union.
María Alemán and Elsa González said yesterday that at the end of the vacation period the school informed them they no longer had jobs. They fired us because we signed a card to join the union. Thats the only reason, because they werent giving us any other reason, said Alemán, who worked for several years as a cleaner at the Chapin School, located on the Upper East Side.
José Asiar and Cristian Cedeño are two other workers facing the same misfortune, although school Principal Sandra Theunick let it be known, through a letter, that the schools position was not to oppose unionization. In the letter, the principal says she recognizes the workers right to seek union representation through National Labor Relations Board-supervised elections.
Local 32BJ said that in a different case, it is charging the school with violating of several basic regulations, such as holding illegal captive meetings with its workers to ask them about their participation in the unionization effort; questioning them about their intention to join the union; threatening supportive employees; offering rewards if they reject the unionizing drive; and printing and distributing intimidating letters in connection to the campaign.
Regarding the discrimination lawsuit filed by Alemán and González, the union points out that while in June 2002 González and Alemán made $8.47 and $9.42 an hour respectively, most of the male cleaners doing the same type of work made anywhere from $11.29 to $16.24 an hour.
The union underscored that the lawsuit for sexual discrimination includes the charge that The Chapin School never offered the two women full-time work when, in fact, the school could have used their help.
María Alemán and Elsa González said yesterday that at the end of the vacation period the school informed them they no longer had jobs. They fired us because we signed a card to join the union. Thats the only reason, because they werent giving us any other reason, said Alemán, who worked for several years as a cleaner at the Chapin School, located on the Upper East Side.
José Asiar and Cristian Cedeño are two other workers facing the same misfortune, although school Principal Sandra Theunick let it be known, through a letter, that the schools position was not to oppose unionization. In the letter, the principal says she recognizes the workers right to seek union representation through National Labor Relations Board-supervised elections.
Local 32BJ said that in a different case, it is charging the school with violating of several basic regulations, such as holding illegal captive meetings with its workers to ask them about their participation in the unionization effort; questioning them about their intention to join the union; threatening supportive employees; offering rewards if they reject the unionizing drive; and printing and distributing intimidating letters in connection to the campaign.
Regarding the discrimination lawsuit filed by Alemán and González, the union points out that while in June 2002 González and Alemán made $8.47 and $9.42 an hour respectively, most of the male cleaners doing the same type of work made anywhere from $11.29 to $16.24 an hour.
The union underscored that the lawsuit for sexual discrimination includes the charge that The Chapin School never offered the two women full-time work when, in fact, the school could have used their help.
Vtmbh article date
2002-10-26
Vtmbh article edition
40
Vtmbh article hit count
96
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1
Vtmbh article original language
Spanish
Vtmbh article publication
El Diario / La Prensa
Vtmbh article section
briefs
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Vtmbh article title
Suit filed against school for discrimination
Vtmbh article translator
SEIU 32BJ
Source
born-digital
Media Type
article
Created by Author
yes
Described by Author
no
Date Entered
2002-10-26
Collection
Citation
“Suit filed against school for discrimination,” September 11 Digital Archive, accessed October 1, 2026, https://911.dev.chnm.gmu.edu/items/1695/.