May 22, 2014 by

Pending Supreme Court Decision May Require Supreme Court to Broaden Narrow Workplace Speech Protections

By Jim Cline

Free Speech 2A case currently pending before the US Supreme Court may challenge the Court’s previous holdings that workplace speech that touches on a public employee’s “job duties falls outside the protection of the First Amendment. The Lane v. Franks involved an Alabama Community College employee who was terminated in retaliation for his subpoenaed testimony. The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that because his testimony was in furtherance of his actual job duties, it did not fall under the “job duties” exception to the First Amendment enunciated by the Supreme Court in 2006 in Garcetti v. Calleballos.

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Filed Under: Constitutional Rights, Free Speech Rights, Legal Rights
May 16, 2014 by

Officer’s Grievance Gets Plowed When Appellate Court Finds Issue of Snowplow Work Not Arbitrable

By Anthony Rice

SnowplowIn City of Naperville v. Ill. Fraternal Order of Police, the Illinois Appellate Court held the issue of refusing to hire a police officer to operate a snowplow, while off duty, was not arbitrable because the parties’ CBA did not have an expressed provision stating otherwise. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Contract Interpretation
May 9, 2014 by

New Mexico Firefighter Reinstated after Discharge for Failing to Report Misconduct

By Jordan Jones

FirefighterIn City of Farmington, the arbitrator found that a firefighter’s termination that included an allegation of failure to report his off duty DUI was without just cause because (1) the employer’s investigation was not conducted fairly and objectively, (2) the employer did not obtain substantial evidence that the employee was guilty, and (3) the discipline was not reasonably related to the incident.

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Filed Under: Arbitration Rulings, Discipline
May 9, 2014 by

City Violated Due Process When It Failed to Provide “Probationary” Officer with Loudermill Hearing When Probation Period had Lapsed

By Anthony Rice

Gavel SlamIn City of Memphis v. Lesley, the court held that failing to provide an officer with a statement of charges against her, violated her due process right where her probationary period was over, despite having been out of the academy for less than a year. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Discipline
May 2, 2014 by

Toledo Firefighter’s Grievance for Time Off Sustained Over City’s Objections

By Jordan Jones

Time OFfIn City of Toledo, the arbitrator sustained an Ohio firefighter’s grievance for being denied use of 24 hours of compensatory time off, after reviewing the Collective Bargaining Agreement language.

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Filed Under: Arbitration Rulings, Discipline
May 2, 2014 by

Now it’s the City’s “Problem”: Federal Court Finds New Mexico Corrections Officer Can Proceed with Claim that City Failed to Provide a Reasonable Accommodation for Her Depression, Insomnia, and Migraine Headaches

By Emily Nelson

Not my problemRuby Maes, a former corrections officer at the City of Española Detention Facility, sued the City and the Detention Facility’s Director for disability discrimination, alleging that it refused to provide a reasonable accommodation for her disability, responding to her request telling her that her health issues were “your problem.”  The City filed a motion for summary judgment, arguing that Maes’s medical conditions (depression, severe insomnia, and migraines) did not qualify as a “disability” because the inability to sleep does not “substantially limit a major life activity,” under the ADA.  The federal district court of New Mexico disagreed with the City, finding, among other things, that such conditions do qualify as a disability, and allowed Maes to proceed with her discrimination claims. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Disability Discrimination, Discrimination, Legal Rights
April 4, 2014 by

Federal Court Finds Mississippi Police Officer’s Facebook Comments Criticizing Department’s Decision Not to Attend Funeral of Officer Killed in the Line of Duty Not Protected Speech

By Emily Nelson

Thumbs DownSusan Graziosi, a sergeant of the Greenville Mississippi Police Department, alleged she was fired in retaliation for posting criticisms of her police Chief Freddie Cannon on Facebook The federal district court dismissed her free speech claim in Graziosi v. City of Greenville, finding that the Chief was justified in firing her in order to minimize disruption in the department.

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Filed Under: Constitutional Rights, Free Speech Rights, Legal Rights
March 28, 2014 by

Massachusetts Paramedic’s USERRA Claims Denied When He Fails to Prove Discrimination, Not Budget Cuts, Was Reason for Termination

By Emily Nelson

LayoffIn Rebello v. City of New Bedford, a federal district court granted summary judgment to the City on a Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) claim, after Paramedic Joseph J. Rebello failed to establish that his reserve service was the proximate cause of his discharge when he was laid off during a city-wide staffing reduction.

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Filed Under: Discrimination, USERRA
March 21, 2014 by

Sergeant’s Inaction Found to be Sufficient to Make Prima Facie Harassment Claims against Him

By Oliver Enquist

two 3d humans look at human with megaphoneIn Ellis v. Houston, the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of five African American corrections officers who brought claims against five of their supervisors for race based harassment and retaliation.  The appellate court ruled that the officers’ claims stated a cause of action and reversed a district court ruling that had dismissed all the allegations. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Discrimination, Legal Rights, Race Discrimination
March 14, 2014 by

City’s Attempt to Deny Officer’s Widow Her Life Insurance is Thwarted by Arbitration

By Anthony Rice

Contract glassIn City of Chicago Police Dep’t,, 132 LA 641 (Bierig 2012), the arbitrator found the parties’ intent defined an ambiguous word being used by the City to deny an officer’s widow her life insurance.

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Filed Under: Arbitration Rulings, Discipline
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