Posted on 11/02/2006 12:14:21 PM PST by MeneMeneTekelUpharsin
SEATTLE A school bus driver fired after she reportedly made an obscene gesture at President Bush has filed a union grievance in an attempt to get her job back. The 43-year-old driver, whose name was not released, was driving middle school children back to school after a zoo visit on June 16 when the president and Republican Rep. Dave Reichert drove slowly by in a motorcade. From the bus, the children waved; with the windows down in their car, Bush and Reichert waved back.
That's when the driver gave the president the finger, according to Reichert and Issaquah superintendent Janet Barry. "The congressman hadn't seen it, but the president turned to him and said, 'That one's not a fan,' " said Reichert spokeswoman Kimberly Cadena. Reichert later called Barry to tell her about the incident, but the bus driver had already been fired. District officials learned about the incident after the driver boasted to colleagues about it, Cadena said.
District spokeswoman Sara Niegowski said the driver has filed a wrongful termination grievance through the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. The union did not return calls seeking comment. Niegowski said the firing was not politically motivated. "The bus driver was not terminated for making an obscene gesture at the president. The bus driver was terminated for making an obscene gesture in view of the students," Niegowski said. "That's not the role modeling we need for our students."
She's on the clock. Say what you will on your own time, on business time you go by the company policy.
You just like to flip people off. :-)
I try not to - though have a tendancy when people run me off the road.
I criticized Bill Clinton in the classroom in Tennessee and introduced the students to Rush Limbaugh. Got fired. What's good for the goose is good for the gander. As a matter of fact, after all of the years I'm ready for a war to permanently decide who's right as I am so tired of being criticized for MY views. Don't believe in free speech any more -- certainly not for the opposition. Whenever you're ready...LOL.
What, are you driving? A Prius?
Geez man, you gotta get a full sized truck... with lots of dents and primer... and a gun rack. Nobody will run you off the road then. People will go out of their way to give you space.
Favorite Bumper Sticker:
CAUTION: Unlicensed, Uninsured, Illegal Alien with Gun Driving This Vehicle.
It is so like alcoholism. Blame everyone else. When the behavior destroys your life or your career, its not your fault, it's the other guy's fault.
This lady's visceral hatred for Bush led to her getting fired. Rather than accept responsiblity for her mistake, she files a grievance and will undoubtedly blame someone else, in this case probably Bush, for her problem.
Malibu. Paid for.
"LOL. Since you put it that way, if you flipped off Howard Dean, I'd probably give you a public dressing down, give you a day off with pay, and slip you a twenty, for an early Happy Hour.
And then I'd quietly give you a raise when you get back.
But it would still be unacceptable behavior, and I'd be very upset about the whole thing."
And I would accept your dressing down, the day off, the twenty, and the firing. Then I would re-apply and promise to never do it again. (provided the scream master never came back)
I almost got banned for posting that jpg once. Some people's panties bunch more easily than others :)
Valid point. I just don't believe in people telling me I can't stand up for what's right or criticize what's wrong. Yes, it is my perspective of what is right or wrong, but I have reached a breaking point of putting up with individuals standing in opposition. I did not do anything near what this lady did or represent a bad example to school children and the liberals took away my livelihood. To me, they simply must be invited to live somewhere else. I can't say much more here or I'll end up banned. Good evening.
Very true. This is likely not the first time she's flipped someone off.
I also will bet money that there's something in the school contract she operates under that allows her to be terminated for behavior that brings discredit on the school district.
If there is no such clause, then the district will be forced to take her back, imho. They will have some process, though, for terminating employees, and this incident would be the beginning of the paper trail that will eventually result in that.
As I said, though, I'm betting they already have a behavior code for school employees.
As someone who dabbles in employment law, I can guarantee you that they would not have fired this woman if they didn't know they had solid grounds. Apparently they didn't even need a disciplinary hearing for this one. I'm sure that this is the functional equivalent of a serious safety violation in a nuclear plant.
You started out by saying "So much for free speech," as if the bus driver was being persecuted for whom she was flipping the bird at and not whose presence she was in when she did it (that is, school children). Asked to provide evidence that this is the case, your answer is "Discovery hasn't occurred yet." Which raises the question, on what basis do you believe there is anything to discover other than what the District has said?
This is a perfect demonstration of the phrase "grasping at straws." Everyone has done it, but only lawyers get paid handsomely to do it, often on behalf of the guilty as sin.
Reads to me like you're going to be the type of lawyer that will join the National Lawyers Guild and harass police for not handling bandanna-wearing, Molotov cocktail-throwing protesters with tender loving care.
Oops, my apologies to all! I certainly don't want to offend anyone or get banned from this site. You can see from my previous posts that I love to bring a little humor to the discussions. Thanks for the info! (*_*)
Like you can do this with kids in a bus! Liberal idiots!
Just what are your views towards public education? Are teachers allowed to say anything they wish to students? Are bus drivers allowed to get away with more than teachers?
Not a parent, huh?
Obviously, it wasn't his fault that he gave someone the finger. It's Bush's fault.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.