Originally published in the Autumn 2024 edition of the Virginia Defender, issue 75, printed November 6. Reproduced here for accessibility and archival purposes. To find other stories in the Autumn 2024 issue or to download the full PDF, see this post. For other issues dating back to 2012, see the Full Issues page.

By Kat McNeal

On March 4, 2024, Richmond Public Schools terminated Richmond Education Association President Neri Suarez in a move that REA is describing as retaliation for union activities. REA represents the largest bloc of RPS employees, who are organized into seven bargaining units represented by four unions: REA, two separate Teamsters locals and the Laborers’ International Union of North America.

Suarez, a special education teacher, filed a request for a year’s unpaid leave of absence to serve full-time in her capacity as union president, to begin in January 2024. This practice, called “union release,” is common for civil service union leaders in order to conduct union activities.

According to the REA, obtaining such leave from RPS had not been a problem before. In fact, it says that from 1989 to 2016 no RPS president had been denied their request for leave. From 2016 to 2024, no requests were made.

Suarez’s request, however, was denied. RPS cited an ongoing teacher shortage as a reason for the denial. Suarez filed a grievance on the grounds of retaliation. RPS said that the grievance was not filed in time, did not hear it and began the process of firing her. Suarez’s termination ultimately went to the school board on June 3, where it was upheld in closed session. (The Code of Virginia allows personnel matters to be handled in closed sessions.)

The Defender spoke with REA Vice President Anne Forrester, who said the union was initially baffled by RPS’ denial of Suarez’s leave request, but quickly came to view it as an act of retaliation which they described explicitly as union-busting. Jason Kamras, RPS superintendent, has called this charge “libel.”

The union is questioning RPS’ explanation for denying Suarez’s leave – a teacher shortage – because, as of this April, according to publicly-available documents, RPS has ceased to recruit for 30 open special education teacher positions.

The Defender also spoke with Cory Adkins, an REA board member and LIEP (Language Instruction Education Programs) teacher at Elizabeth D. Redd Elementary School. Adkins said that Suarez’s firing has been widely understood as a retaliatory act.

“It was shocking,” Adkins said. “Many people started questioning why the union president would not be granted leave, unless it was due to retaliation for being a vocal and a strong leader. This led to people wondering what would happen to them if they spoke up – would they face this same type of retaliation as well?”

In addition to pursuing action around Suarez’s firing, REA is currently working to amend the school system’s leave policy to require the school board to permit unpaid union leave.

At the Richmond City School Board Policy Committee meeting on June 25, the committee voted to draft language to this effect, which Forrester described as a good sign. However, the proposal has faced pushback from RPS administration because of the number of vacancies it would create. Forrester specified in an email to the Defender that, contrary to the number cited in school board meetings since – seven, the policy would permit the union release of only one person per union: four people out of some 2,000 RPS staff members.

Kenya Gibson, school board representative for the 3rd district and current candidate for city council, argued at the Aug. 20 meeting that, each year, about 660 staff members leave the system. Losing four to temporary union duties seems a small sacrifice in comparison. Nonetheless, the school board voted in August to continue the issue until December.

The Defender reached out to RPS for comment on this story. Alyssa Schwenk, director of communications and media relations, replied that the school system does not comment on personnel matters