Ohio Firefighter Files Discrimination Claim Over Nazi Salute
An Ohio firefighter who claims he was disciplined in retaliation for complaining about members giving a Nazi salute to the fire chief, has filed a formal complaint with the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).
Firefighter Paul Way, a 28 year veteran of the Shawnee Township Fire Department, was terminated last December for abusing his sick leave. He was observed to have been drinking beer in a sports bar while off sick on September 12, 2012 and again on September 14, 2012.
The sick leave was taken just days after Way had been demoted from platoon chief to firefighter for what has been characterized by the department as his spreading negative information within the department via emails. He received a written warning about the emails in July of 2012.
Way’s attorney, Fazeel Khan, claims his client was wrongfully terminated over relatively minor disciplinary offenses in retaliation for his complaints about blatantly offensive and discriminatory conduct with the department. He claims that Fire Chief Todd Truesdale is routinely given a “Heil Hitler” salute by members of the department, and was once given a cake adorned with a Swastika. That cake included small figurines that were “marching into an oven”.
Way and his attorney have provided the EEOC with a number of photos of members giving Chief Truesdale the salute (exhibit A, exhibit B), as well as photos of the Swastika cake as proof of what he alleges is occurring. They claim the department discriminates against religious minorities, homosexuals and women.
According to attorney Khan “We believe Mr. Way was targeted, harassed and treated unjustly simply for his opposition to discriminatory practices and a general culture of bigotry rampant at the Fire Department.”
However, platoon Chief John Norris provided an entirely different version of events to reporters from Channel 4 in Columbus earlier this month. Chief Norris claims that Way was the one who started Nazi salute for Chief Truesdle. Quoting from a transcript of the Channel 4 interview:
Norris: "Mr. Way started this over 10 years ago as a joke against his shift officer, who is now the chief of the department."
Norris also claims that it was Paul Way who instigated the "Heil Hitler" salutes
As for this cake, which is now part of the EEOC complaint, Norris says it is 10 years old. He admits it was made for Todd Truesdale, before he was chief, and claims Paul Way was instrumental in acquiring it.
Norris: "Everybody knew he was not happy at all with that. And chief has told me that right after that, he talked to Mr. Way in regards to that being inappropriate and that was to never happen again."
Way denies Chief Norris’s claims. The EEOC filing is a necessary predicate to filing a discrimination claim in court.
As the Great American Philosopher Joliet Jake once said, "I HATE Illinois Nazis."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTT1qUswYL0
Seriously, though, the fact that ANY firefighter (or cop or EMT/medic) thinks this is funny, sardonic, amusing, or in any way shape or form an acceptable behavior is truly disgusting.
It seems to me that this is an off-shoot of the Tea Party movement, where being rude, crude, vulgar, and disgusting is mistaken for being "plain spoken." It ranks up there with the "FB of the FD" chasing after the paraplegic wife of a firefighter.
Like GWB and some of his drunken frat-boy locker room shenanigans, this type of behavior makes me think the US is coming to the end of the road.
Curt, are sure these are real stories? You're getting into series YCMTSU territory.
At least throw in a couple tickets to "The Producers" on this one…
What does it take, some times?!?
Mike
You and Andrew have me laughing… Are you suggesting that perhaps Fire Law is becoming a bit like Jerry Springer???
Let me assure you I am not putting these folks up to this crap… this is reality blog-news… it's all them!!!! That's why we say YCMTSU… because if you tried to make it up your made up version would fall short!!!!
Did I see you in an old Mount Prospect police car last week just outside Warwick?
"It's 10.6 miles to Providence. We've got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it's dark, and we're wearing turn-outs."
"Hit it."
And you can't be Springer, but maybe Maury… who da firefighter daddy?
Nazi salutes are an off-shoot of the Tea Party? You're seriously going there and expect to be taken seriously?
The fact that you think GW's behavior in college is a bigger harbringer of doom than what your hero's Justice Department is doing to the Constutution right now tells us everything we need to know.
No, I am NOT saying Nazi salutes are an off-shoot of the Tea Party. I AM saying that the Tea Party has confused being plain-spoken with being rude, crude, and obnoxious (see, for instance, our estemmed Governor "Kiss My Butt" LePage).
And "my hero's" Justice Department isn't doing anything that GW's didn't do. It was Bush who instigated the PATRIOT Act, not Obama. I suspect you think Obama's a secret Kenyan Muslim, BH.
The Patriot Act didn't say anything about rooting through a reporter's personal email.
More whistleblower prosecutions than every other Administration in history combined. Just saying.
Just saw your story Curt. Nice job but of course theres always more to the story. There were two facts that the NBC editors cut from the story. First, I left a Dr.'s appointment, dropped off a prescription at a pharmacy and went and had lunch at a local BW3's while it was being filled. I was there 27 minutes and did have a single beer before leaving. Secondly, I was actually disciplined because I sent a text message to the other Platoon Chief's asking their opinion and stating that I wanted to check into the legality of a new social media policy which basically gave the chief the right to demand your password to any of your social media accounts so he could view them. The texts were sent from my personal phone while off-duty to the other chiefs personal phones. I turned in over 30 pictures to the EEOC including a slide show presentation (made by the PIO, Chief Norris) using some of these pics that was shown at our annual banquet in a church with all township trustees present. This occured over several years.
Thanks Paul
There usually is more to the story. Please keep us updated and good luck.
Curt
http://www.firehouse.com/news/11678661/shawnee-township-ohio-orderd-to-pay-10k-for-fire-departments-actions