Posted on 06/04/2012 11:04:19 PM PDT by Free ThinkerNY
MARIETTA — A former Weather Channel star is suing the Cobb-based channel and its new owners, claiming she was fired because of her military service.
Meteorologist Nicole Mitchell said Monday that her contract was not renewed in 2010 because the Weather Channel’s management didn’t want to deal with the time she took off to serve in the Air Force Reserves, where she is a captain and “Hurricane Hunter.” While the channel’s former management, Norfolk, Va.-based Landmark Communications, embraced her role in the military, featuring her weather-related duties on the air, she said that started to change when the Weather Channel was sold in 2008 to NBC Universal and two private equity firms, Bain Capital and the Blackstone Group.
“I don’t think it was so much they were anti-military,” Mitchell said after a news conference Monday at her attorney’s office, a couple of miles from the Weather Channel’s headquarters. “But we were taken over by outside companies that weren’t internally managing, if that makes sense. And so they never got to know some of us. Our managers weren’t meteorologists anymore, so I think it was just easier for them to feel inconvenienced than to look at the benefits.”
The lawsuit states that in March 2009, NBC News Vice President Elena Nachmanoff called Mitchell in for a Sunday meeting with a “hair consultant,” even though Mitchell had a military service weekend scheduled for months. It claims that Nachmanoff was “perceptibly angry” that Mitchell didn’t come in. After Mitchell missed a second weekend assignment for “makeup consultation” in June 2009, she was removed from “Your Weather Today,” which she had been on for four years.
(Excerpt) Read more at mdjonline.com ...
I highly suggest she contact the JAG at her duty station, I think this is a violation of her rights as a member of the military.
Smells like a personal pissing contest to me
US Department of Labor (DoL) The Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) Advisor
http://www.dol.gov/elaws/userra.htm
http://www.dol.gov/vets/programs/userra/USERRA_Private.pdf
Bookmark
Definitely not guilty.
Isn’t that precious?
I fired her so I could date her...
The hiring of the sorry Al Roker was the worst move. I only watch it now for the tropical coverage.
The chick was fired in 2010.
Mitt Romney wins Republican nomination in 2012. His opposition slams him for running Bain capital.
Romney opposition conducts considerable dirt investigations and finds out that Bain bought this TV channel.
In 2012 the weather chick sues for wrongful termination. She throws in the military discrimination for added effect since Republicans love the military.
The whole thing is contrived by Democrats.
yitbos
The story is about the chick being fired by Bain Capital, Romney's old haunt.
"Bain is anti-military" is a subtext.
It is propaganda.
yitbos
The article stressed the NBC part from the get go, not Bain.
Don't think this will hurt Romney in any way, it may be an attempt, but it won't stick to do damage.
Going to take a whole, whole, whole lot more to save the OBummer and no way I can see that happening at this point.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Nicole-Mitchell/192972824051358
“”This is a partial answer to many questions you guys have asked about what happened at TWC. We finally went forward and spoke to the press today, which was nerve-wracking, and I will post the link to that conference when it is available.....
For Immediate Release
WEATHER CHANNEL SUED FOR MILITARY DISCRIMINATION
Air Force Reserve “Hurricane Hunter” Harassed, Loses Job over Service to Country
Atlanta, GA – June 4, 2012 – Air Force Reserve Officer Nicole Mitchell, formerly an on-air meteorologist for The Weather Channel (TWC), has filed suit against her former employers TWC, NBC/Universal and the private equity firms Bain Capital and the Blackstone Group. The suit comes after a pattern of unfair and discriminatory treatment by the network and its owners, who complained about being forced to schedule around Captain Mitchell’s military service.
Captain Mitchell, now a Major select, is a highly decorated officer who flies as a Weather Officer with the famed “Hurricane Hunters.” She brings suit under The Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (“USERRA”) which prohibits discrimination and retaliation against service members due to their military obligations.
Mitchell was a popular meteorologist on the TWC’s top-rated morning show, “Your Weather Today,” where her military expertise contributed greatly to the network’s hurricane coverage and revenue. After TWC was purchased by NBC/Universal, Bain Capital, and the Blackstone Group in 2008, Mitchell was told by the new management that her military schedule “impacts everyone.” She was harassed for meeting her military obligations, told to clear any military assignments in advance, removed from “Your Weather Today,” and subsequently moved to less desirable shifts. Eventually she was that told there was no longer a place for her at TWC. Management cited “business reasons” and confirmed there were no performance or ratings issues with Mitchell.
The Weather Channel is now attempting to profit off of Mitchell’s own Squadron with a reality show about the Hurricane Hunters. In the series, TWC promises to emphasize the vital role played by the Hurricane Hunters who supply information to the National Hurricane Center from inside the storms. According to TWC, the show will feature those who “risk their own lives” for those whose “lives depend on them.” After dismissing Captain Mitchell for alleged “business reasons,” TWC avoided filming her during this series. Additionally, NBC/Universal is now a sponsor of the “Got Your 6” campaign, publicly vowing to support veterans, despite allowing NBC/Universal staff and managers to harass and then terminate the employment of a military veteran because it found her military service inconvenient.
The case is now headed into arbitration after TWC, NBC/Universal, Bain Capital and The Blackstone Group refused to allow the case to proceed in the Federal District Court and moved to enforce an arbitration clause. Forcing USERRA cases into arbitration is a problem. This is a distinct disadvantage to military members due to the costs, the intricacies of these cases, the effect of military regulations upon their duties, and the lack of any appeal process. Two United States Senators have introduced legislation, the Servicemember Employment Protection Act of 2012 (Pryor, AR) and the Servicemember’s Access to Justice Act (Casey, PA), that would render arbitration clauses invalid in USERRA cases and guarantee military members the right to have their cases heard in federal court. Mitchell hopes her case will raise awareness of military employment discrimination and the need to improve USERRA protections, so that other veterans do not have to go through what she has experienced.
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