By Jim Cline and Peter Haller In Maxson v Baldwin, an Ohio deputy sheriff sued his ex-Employer after he was discharged following a guilty plea to the misdemeanor of attempting to illegally fill an opioid prescription and testing positive for marijuana. The lawsuit alleged that the Employer discriminated against him by failing to accommodate him […] The post Sixth Circuit Denies Ohio Deputy Sherrif’s ADA Discrimination Claim After Flunked Weed Test and Prescription Abuse Plays Role in His Termination appeared first on National Police and Fire Labor Blog ..read more

By Jim Cline and Peter Haller In Copeland v. Georgia Department of Corrections, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that a transgender male corrections officer demonstrated that he suffered intentional and repeated misgendering in the workplace. These facts were sufficient to give rise to hostile work environment claim. Tyler Copeland, a Georgia corrections officer, […] The post Federal Eleventh Circuit Rules Repeated Misgendering Transgender Georgia Corrections Lieutenant Gave Rise to Hostile Work Environment appeared first on National Police and Fire Labor Blog ..read more

By Jim Cline and Peter Haller In, Town v. Dade County Police Benevolent Association, a police officer was reinstated without back pay after he was discharged for allegedly harassing peer officers through a pattern of antisemitic and misogynistic comments. Arbitrator David Mudrick held that the harassment did not rise to the level of discharge and […] The post Antisemitic, Misogynist Florida Police Sergeant Reinstated but Without Back Pay appeared first on National Police and Fire Labor Blog ..read more

By Jim Cline and Peter Haller In Hussey v Cambridge, a police officer sued after he was suspended for four days without pay following a Facebook post he made criticizing a police reform bill named after George Floyd. The Court held that the officer’s First Amendment rights were not violated because the officer’s right to […] The post Cambridge, Massachusetts Officer Disciplined for Goerge Floyd Facebook Post Loses Free Speech Court Battle appeared first on National Police and Fire Labor Blog ..read more

By Jim Cline and Peter Haller  In Noon v. Smedley,the Federal 8th Circuit Court of Appeals ordered that two Illinois police officers be reinstated after they had been fired in retaliation for expressing negative sentiments about the chief of police. The court held that the officers’ speech was protected under the first amendment. In September […] The post Court of Appeals Orders the Reinstatement of Two Illinois Officers Who Were Fired for Whistleblowing About their Chief appeared first on National Police and Fire Labor Blog ..read more

By Jim Cline and Kim Lowe In King County, Arbitrator Latsch upheld the discharge of Deputy Fire Marshall, Mr. A, who was fired after a citizen complained that he drove aggressively in his work vehicle and harassed her. Latsch found that King County had just cause to terminate A, in large part because of A’s […] The post Arbitrator Upholds Termination of 30 Year King County Fire Marshall Caught Driving Aggressively While Flashing a Homemade “Badge” appeared first on National Police and Fire Labor Blog ..read more

By Cynthia McNabb and Kim Lowe In Neal v. Indianapolis Fire Department, a District Court judge ruled that there was no merit to a claim by a former employee that he was discriminated against on the basis of his disability when he was terminated for poor attendance. Sanjiv Neal suffered from anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic […] The post US District Court Rules Regular Attendance, Cooperation to be Necessary Qualifications for Indianapolis Fire Department Firefighters, Rejects Former Employee’s Disability Suit appeared first on National Police and Fire Labor Blog ..read more

By Jim Cline and Kim Lowe In Grant County Sheriff’s Office, Arbitrator Latsch granted a grievance regarding management’s decision to unilaterally change the scheduling system for the Corrections Officers. He ordered Grant County to reinstate the schedule that was in effect prior to the unilateral change and to bargain any further changes to scheduling with the […] The post Arbitrator Latsch Orders Grant County to Reverse Unilateral Change to Corrections Scheduling System, Reestablish Pre-existing Schedule appeared first on National Police and Fire Labor Blog ..read more

Jim Cline and Kim Lowe In City of Maumee, Arbitrator Szuter upheld a police officer’s termination for gross incompetence and inefficient performance. Even though Officer A_ was a five-year member of the department and several infractions would not have been enough, on their own, to sustain the termination, Arbitrator Szuter found that the volume of […] The post Arbitrator Upholds Termination of Five-Year Ohio Police Officer for Gross Incompetence and Inefficient Performance appeared first on National Police and Fire Labor Blog ..read more

By Jim Cline and Stephen Hatton In City of Selma, Arbitrator George Riggs, Jr. held that Selma, California’s Police Department had just cause to terminate an officer who had violated six of its departmental policies between 2005 and 2021. The arbitrator determined that three of the offenses committed by the Officer were severe violations for […] The post Laundry List: California Arbitrator Rules that California Police Department Terminated Officer Accused of Violating Handful of Department Policies for Just Cause appeared first on National Police and Fire Labor Blog ..read more