Cahokia bringing back all 10 employees fired by mayor
The village of Cahokia is bringing back to work all 10 employees who were fired shortly after Mayor Curtis McCall Jr. took office.
The employees, who were fired in June 23, will be back on the job effective April 25.
McCall declined comment, citing pending litigation.
All 10 of the unionized employees filed grievances and are suing in federal court. Two of the employees recently received favorable rulings from an arbitrator.
Village Attorney Mark Scoggins said Cahokia now has received an arbitrator’s decision on the employment agreements of the workers. The arbitrator has not accepted the village’s position on probationary periods and has read into the agreement a “just cause provision that does not appear in the text of the agreement,” Scoggins said.
Scoggins also said that upcoming arbitrations involving other eleventh-hour transfers of employees by former mayor Gary Cornwell “do involve issues that have not been addressed by arbitrators to date.”
But, to promote employee morale rather than continue the village’s battle with the union, Scoggins said, “The village is putting back to work, with the village as of April 25, those union employees terminated by the village of Cahokia on June 23, 2015, and who filed grievances with the union.”
McCall, after taking office and firing the employees, hired new people to replace them.
Some village residents and one of the Village Board trustees, Jerry Nichols, protested that the firing were politically motivated. Nichols also complained about the salaries McCall gave the new hires, some of whom Nichols said were felons.
At that time, McCall said he was doing what he felt was in the best interest of the village and what he felt would allow him to move his vision forward in the village.
Some of the employees at issue were given promotions by Cornwell, shortly before he left office.
This story was originally published April 7, 2016 at 1:43 PM with the headline "Cahokia bringing back all 10 employees fired by mayor."