Charter-School Company to Pay Fired Teachers $100G

October 5, 2016 
By Steven Wishnia and Neal Tepel

Detroit, MI – A company that runs four charter schools in the Detroit area agreed Sept. 30 to pay more than $100,000 to eight teachers it fired last February, settling a complaint they filed with the National Labor Relations Board.

Hamadeh Educational Services had axed the eight teachers from Universal Academy on Detroit’s west side, telling them in an email that they were working at-will and could be sacked “at any time, without cause, and with or without notice.” Six of the eight had spoken out about problems at the school at a board meeting in January. The Michigan Alliance of Charter Teachers and Staff union filed a complaint in March charging that Hamadeh fired the teachers "because of their union and protected concerted activities," and the NLRB in August formally alleged that the company had violated the teachers’ rights to organize. “This is the first time we have witnessed our school being held accountable for an injustice, and we are thrilled with the NLRB decision," Asil Yassine, one of the terminated teachers, told the Metro Times weekly.  Read more