Union Calls For Justice For Greenwich Bus Driver Who Was Decertified

GREENWICH, CT — Prior to Thursday evening's board of education meeting in Greenwich, around 30-40 workers from the Transport Workers Union Local 100 gathered outside of Central Middle School with one simple message: justice for Nadia.

Nadia Micourt, a veteran bus driver for over 20 years in town, was decertified by Greenwich Public Schools (GPS) after a complaint was made late last month by Deputy Superintendent E. Ann Carabillo about Micourt's driving.

On April 17, about 80 bus drivers called out of work in Greenwich to show support for Micourt. The district was notified at 5:30 a.m. that day about the staff shortage, and parents found out around 6 a.m.

In a letter to bus company First Student on April 3, Carabillo wrote to "disqualify" Micourt from driving in Greenwich.

Carabillo detailed an incident from March 31 in which she was behind Micourt's bus at the time of school dismissal from North Street School to Lower Cross Road.

According to Carabillo, Micourt was driving between 20-26 miles per hour, crossed the double yellow line more than 15 times and strayed into the oncoming lane of traffic.

The union said Micourt was dismissed without due process and a proper arbitration hearing.

Union leaders claimed the school district didn't view footage from bus cameras, which showed no wrongdoing, but GPS noted the cameras are not designed to review road decisions, and are not dash cams. The cameras are for supervision of passengers and to review who enters and exits the bus.

Micourt, surrounded by her fellow bus drivers, spoke briefly Thursday prior to the board of education's regularly scheduled meeting.

"I was so shocked," she said of being decertified. "It's killing me... I love my kids, I love my job."

She said the support from her fellow bus drivers was appreciated.

"It feels good. I would go through the same for them, too," she said.

During the public comment period of the board of education meeting, TWU Local 100 President Richard Davis asked for an arbitration process. He said in Micourt's career, she has not had a single accident or complaint against her.

"The bottom line is, Nadia had her job taken away based on one alleged observation, no prior warning, no ability to defend herself, no hearing, no due process. Nothing. Nadia was treated like a second class citizen and that is completely unacceptable," Davis said. "Our problem is not with First Student. Our problem is with the district administration. And the district refused even when First Student said they would retrain Nadia. Our contract allows an arbitration process and that's what we're asking for."

Micourt's daughter, Immeley Eliezer, who is a certified occupational therapist in the Stamford Public Schools District, also spoke Thursday and pleaded for the board to reconsider.

"I aspire to be half as hardworking as my mother has been," she said. "My mother not too long ago shared with me that she's been so blessed to be working in this district for so long that she would like to retire as a bus driver because of all the hard work she put in over the past 23 years. Earlier this month, that was stripped away from her. We feel as though this decision was not a fair decision. It was not a just decision."

Gus Moghrabi, school bus division chair, TWU Local 100, said the district's transportation director told him to move Micourt to another district.

"If she is dangerous, why would I send her to another district?" Moghrabi asked. "This is unfair. This process does not exist anywhere in this country. People have the right to face their accusers, they have a right to defend themselves, and this is not happening here. This shouldn't be done to anybody."

The district's contract with First Student states that GPS and the town have the right to require the company to remove a driver if they don't meet qualifications, or if they pose a risk to students, without prior approval from the board of education.

The board can reinstate a driver.

Superintendent of GPS Dr. Toni Jones reiterated on Thursday night that the school district followed its contract with First Student.

"It's not our union and it's not our employee, but we don't ever take situations like this lightly," Jones said.

"My understanding, and again, it's not our employee, is that the employee was offered still to drive for the company. She's planning for retirement and this is not impacting that, but that would need to come from First Student, not from us," Jones added. "This is a normal process that we do go through, and unfortunately it is challenging, but if someone is noted as driving unsafe, this is a situation sometimes that we take."

It's unclear if Micourt will be placed in a new district. First Student told Patch earlier this week that because this is a personnel matter, the company could not provide further comment.