Paterson teachers’ union chief back on district payroll

The head of the city’s teachers’ union is back on the district payroll after going without pay for 120 days.

John McEntee, president of the Paterson Education Association, was placed back on payroll on Sept. 1, 2017, according to the district. His salary is $68,500.

McEntee still remains technically suspended, but with pay. He was placed on suspension without pay on March 30th, 2017 after the school board certified tenure charges against him.

McEntee is accused of two counts of conduct unbecoming stemming from a Dec. 19, 2016 incident at the Frank Napier Academy. He was at the school with two other union officials that day to question vice principal Sharon Davis about a confidentiality clause in the signature of her emails to teachers.

McEntee told Davis that clause was sufficient for the union to file a grievance, according to the testimony of a supervisor, who was in the meeting room, when the incident occurred. The exchange became tense and the vice principal ordered the union chief out of her office. She called security to have him escorted out.

McEntee has maintained he was conducting “protected union activity” at the school. He is accused of threatening and “verbally and physically” intimidating Davis. He is also accused of “falsely” stating he was “forcibly rejected” from the school by security.

Surveillance footage released by the district as part of an open records request showed McEntee and the other two union officials leaving school building without intervention from security staff.

McEntee did not respond to a call and message seeking his comment for this story.

School board members were unaware the union president was placed back on the payroll. School officials said the district is abiding by state law which states, “if the arbitrator does not make a determination of the charges within 120-calendar days after the charges have been certified, excluding all delays which are granted at the request of the employee against whom the charges are filed, then the employee’s salary shall recommence on the 121st day, assuming that the suspension has been without pay.”

The hearing on McEntee’s tenure charges began on Thursday morning. McEntee’s lawyer Sanford Oxfeld has opposed having reporters present during the hearing process. Hearing is expected to continue on Tuesday, according to lawyers.

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Dominick Perez

YAY! Two paychecks plus all the bribe money!
- phntsticpeg
  
  https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/8682dfe4d4c0e09d37b9734cd4e96103f6cfd5d33c031a751c9b6e8a8d21a8b4.jpg
  
  Listen, if you don't teach in Paterson please don't bash our union chief. Because dude is great; he responds to members quickly, he advocates, you can call him with questions. The man prior to him sat on his ass for over 25 years and did very little for his members over his last decade in office. John and his team do their job. And for the record, his huge salary of $68,500? Some teachers make more than that.
  
  I have no idea where you get your facts but bribes? Really? For what?
  
  If you didn't have a salary or any income for 4 months you'd probably cry a river of tears. He took it for the team – defending fellow teachers against some sketchy policy put in place. And…the folks that accused him of all this stuff? Gone. Left the district with a quickness. If they were so sure they were right they certainly should have stayed on and pursued it but its obvious to many of us this was a tactic to get him to back down. And it didn't work.
  
  So if your so anti union then you can go work for less than minimum wage with no overtime and over 40 hours a week with no days off. But lets be clear; unions made the middle class. Teachers, Cops and firefighters are the last ones standing so we already know that there's a target on our backs. But we will prevail, even from naysayers such as yourself.
  - Dominick Perez
    
    Unions are no longer needed. All they do is suck out wages from the members and pass it on to the Democrats and to line the leadership's pockets. My sister is in a union and they don't do sh*t she hasn't gotten a raise in five years. She would've been better off with the $100 they pull from her check so that the President can take his mistress on junkets.
    - MarquinhoGaucho
      
      Unions are needed more than ever…do some research on life in the US BEFORE unions…90 hour work weeks, etc.. Do you think Chris Christie has teachers best interests in heart?
      - Dominick Perez
        
        You're living in the past man. We don't have sweatshops and child labor anymore, you must have the US confused from whatever third world sh*thole you came here from.
      - MarquinhoGaucho
        
        I know American history especially that of the American labor Movement and events like the Ludlow Massacre , Great Railroad Strike and the Pullman Strike. Also great people like Mother Jones, Samuel Gompers and Eugene Debs you think we wont go back to those ways if our corporate fascist oligarchy has its way? Those who don't know history are doomed to repeat it. As for third world __hole says someone with the last name Perez. Go back to Cuba…engrandado de mierda
      - Dominick Perez
        
        I was born here d*ckhead. Anybody can look things up on Wikipedia. I prefer Fascism to radical left wing Marxism any day. Chupa mi bicho.
      - MarquinhoGaucho
        
        screw Marxism , I prefer the American dream -meritocracy not crony capitalism/corporate fascism