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Texas Fire Captain Suspended Over Facebook Posts
A fire captain in Austin, Texas has been suspended for 30 days without pay for posting political comments on Facebook.
Captain Gregory Zenkner agreed to the terms of the discipline rather than face an indefinite suspension (a Texas euphemism for termination) or a demotion.
Among Captain Kenkner’s offending posts are:
- “Hey Hillary, I’m not one of your minority, hands-out, entitled, easily-offended, whiney, unemployed, drain on society voters. I’m a hard working, tax paying, gun owning, mortgage paying, productive member of society. And I’m the deplorable one?”
- “I doubt those future felons are reading about Washington or Lincoln. It’s about Omabey (sic) and what an incredible job he did. No FACTS about how he divided this nation and how he IS and will go down as the worst PRES in history!”
Fire Chief Rhoda Mae Kerr has been under fire by IAFF Local 975 for what Union President Bob Nicks characterized as excessive penalties for relatively minor offenses.
Here is a copy of the disciplinary notice: afd-zenkner-11-2016
What are your thoughts Chief?
I have seen far worse posts. Over punished or appropriate?
Granted I don’t like the posts that are
But, If the Texas State law has a limit of 15 days for a suspension, as Union President Bob Nicks stated in the newspaper article, then why go beyond that time frame?
Again, the issue of Chief Rhoda Mae Kerr’s heavy handed actions bring attention to some other unknown issues going on behind the scenes at this time.