For nearly a decade, AFSCME member LeeShun Fryson has been an exemplary employee at the Department of Economic Opportunity in Tallahassee investigating cases of fraud and making sure that people who need assistance receive it. But on March 13 of this year, the senior program specialist walked into work and was abruptly fired without just cause and immediately sent home.
"I was floored. Completely speechless. I love my job and I had no idea what I had done wrong." Fryson said.
The supervisor in Fryson's department alleged that she was terminated for "insubordinate behavior." "It was a very strange thing," Fryson recalled. "We were actually friends and co-workers. Then she got promoted and I'm not sure what happened."
ENTER AFSCME
Fryson immediately contacted her union representative Cris Serrano and filed a grievance. "Let me just say that I previously did not know the power of a union," quipped Fryson. Serrano got to work right away getting the facts and standing up for the dedicated employee who's reputation had been tarnished.
The arbitration process with the State wove through several months. During that time Fryson sought employment elsewhere but had trouble. "That fact that I was terminated haunted me," she said. "I would have a great interview and get 90% of the way through the hiring process and never hear back. It happened several times. My finances were spiraling out of control. It was incredibly stressful."
Finally, in November, after several hearings and interviews of witnesses, the arbitration process reached a conclusion: Fryson was fired without just cause or due process. The termination was a complete violation of AFSCME's employee contract with the State of Florida. Fryson won back her job and eight months of back pay for what she would have earned during that time.
"I was elated," said Fryson. "Vindicated. I cried. My alleged offense was asking too many questions and standing up for my co-workers. I couldn't be more happy with the outcome."
"My faith in God and the power of my union got me through this ordeal. Mr. Serrano represented me with professionalism and valor. I urge public service workers in the State of Florida who are on the fence about whether to join the union to not think twice: You never know when this might happen to you. I owe my job to AFSCME."
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