[Blindtlk] Arbitrator rules in favor of Christine Boone, former director of Michigan Commission

[Jessica Kostiw]

Yeah!!!  Big smiles here in Virginia!!  Congratulations Christine!!

-----Original Message-----
From: blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of David Andrews
Sent: Saturday, June 04, 2011 11:02 PM
To: david.andrews at nfbnet.org
Subject: [Blindtlk] Arbitrator rules in favor of Christine Boone, former
director of Michigan Commission


>From: "J.J. Meddaugh" <jj at bestmidi.com>
>To: "NFB of Kalamazoo Michigan List" <nfb-kzoo at nfbnet.org>,     "NFB 
>of Michigan Internet Mailing List"
>  <nfbmi-talk at nfbnet.org>
>Date: Wed, 25 May 2011 13:40:32 -0400
>Subject: [Nfb-kzoo] Arbitrator rules in favor of Christine 
>Boone,       former director of Michigan
>  Commission
>
> >From Kalamazoo Gazette
>
>   KALAMAZOO -
>   The former director of the Michigan Commission for the Blind 
> Training Center here,
>fired in February, 2010 in a dispute about a marksmanship class
>  offered to students, should get her job back, with back pay and benefits,
>a hearing officer has ruled
>.
>"After careful review of all the facts and circumstances, it is 
>clear that (former
>director Christine) Boone performed her work in good faith and with 
>reasonable diligence,"
>arbitrator Michael P. Long wrote in his ruling, a copy of which was 
>provided by Boone.
>A spokesman for the Michigan Department of Energy, Labor & Economic 
>Growth, which
>oversees the training center, said via e-mail Wednesday that the 
>department had just
>received the order, had not yet had an opportunity to review it, and 
>so had no further
>comment.
>Boone, 51, said she learned the news from her lawyer Tuesday that 
>the state labor
>arbitrator had ruled in her favor and was "delighted" by the outcome.
>"I came to Kalamazoo four years to be the training center's 
>director, and my whole
>mission, my energy,  my time and my passion was to create an 
>environment where blind
>people would be challenged and receive skills they need to enter the 
>work force,"
>she told the Kalamazoo Gazette today in an interview.
>"I'm looking forward to having an opportunity to continue the work I
started."
>Boone was fired after her boss Patrick Cannon, director of the 
>Michigan Commission
>for the Blind in Lansing, became upset to learn of a marksmanship 
>class being offered
>at the school,  a year-round training facility for blind adults.
>In the class, blind students used spring-powered pellet guns to 
>shoot at targets.
>Boone said Cannon gave his verbal consent for the class; he denied 
>that, and said
>the class violated state safety and firearms rules.
>At the arbitration hearing, the record shows, Cannon argued Boone 
>had deceived him,
>intending to use the class to embarrass him.
>"It appears that there may well have been a misunderstanding or 
>miscommunication
>between Ms. Boone and Mr. Cannon," Long wrote. "Ms. Boone believed 
>she had Mr. Cannon's
>approval for the marksmanship class, while Mr. Cannon believes he 
>had not approved
>the class.  ... If one assumes both witnesses are telling the truth, 
>there was simply
>a misunderstanding, and not a work rule violation."
>The arbitrator said it was clear to all parties that firearms are 
>not allowed on
>state property, but less clear that the pellet guns used in class 
>constituted firearms.
>He noted that, "Mr. Cannon, after informing Ms. Boone that the 
>pellet rifles were
>"firearms," which are not allowed on state property, ordered Ms. 
>Boone to transport
>the pellet rifles to his office on state property in Lansing so that 
>he could examine
>them."
>"It has not been shown that the (Boone) purposely violated any of 
>the rules or regulations
>with which she is charged," the finding concludes.
>"There is not just cause for discipline or discharge in this matter."
>Boone, has been blind since birth. She was  hired as Director of the 
>Michigan Training
>Center  for the Blind in October, 2006 by the Michigan Commission 
>for the Blind.
>Best Regards,
>J.J. Meddaugh
>A T Guys
>Your Assistive Technology Experts
>(269) 216-4798
>http://www.ATGuys.com


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