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Sue McCune was blindsided twice this year - first by a driver who "T-boned" her patrol car, then by her employer. The Brownstown Township officer suffered a variety of injuries, the most severe to her left knee, when her car was hit last February by a driver who ran a red light at a high rate of speed while she was responding with lights flashing and sirens blaring to a motor vehicle accident. The consensus opinion is that her life probably was saved by the fact her car's prisoner screen absorbed some of the impact. She has undergone a series of operations on her knee and more likely will be needed. She's constantly in pain. Worse yet, she's also suffering from mental and emotional distress because the department's administration has fired her. MAP Executive Director Fred Timpner expressed both outrage at that action and the union's determination to "right an unbelievable wrong" by winning back her job. "We have filed a wrongful discharge grievance and are looking into a possible lawsuit," he said. "We're also working with Officer McCune's Workers' Compensation attorney. These are steps made necessary by what can only be described as disgusting treatment by her employer. "It is absolutely mind-boggling that being terminated is the thanks she gets for doing her duty, clearly putting her life on the line, then going through a physical ordeal in an effort to get back to work. "We're going to fight this case all the way." The firing came after the department attempted to force McCune into resigning her position as a police officer and taking a job as a dispatcher, Timpner explained. "Sue refused, because she wants to continue to be a police officer," he said. "She believes she can rehabilitate her knee and return to duty, and her doctor agrees. Despite that, the employer asked her to come to the station, told her they had no work for her and relieved her of her badge, weapon and uniform. "The administration's action is disgraceful." McCune, an eight-year veteran of the department, said that she does, indeed, feel blindsided. "I never expected to be fired; it was a total shock...unbelievable!" she declared. "The thing is, they (the employer) just do whatever they want, based on who they like." "I was sure that the chief didn't like me from the time I was hired. I was the first woman on the department and it seemed pretty clear that he didn't want any female officers." "That's even more clear now." While McCune continues to endure physical pain from her damaged knee, two factors are helping to ease the mental and emotional burden. "MAP is really going to bat for me and so far things are going well in that respect," she said. "Also, my fellow officers have been really good about supporting me. That's pretty much unanimous." MAP Labor Relations Specialist Troy Scott, a former Brownstown Township officer, is playing a crucial role in the union's efforts on her behalf. He said there is precedent for believing that gender bias is a factor in the case. "In
1991, a male officer was injured and the department gave him 4 1/2 years
to rehab before he was proven to be disabled," he recounted. "That,
obviously, isn't what is happening here." "In contrast, the administration gave Officer McCune two choices. She either could give up her job, and the higher wages and better benefits package that came with it, and become a dispatcher or she could have no employment at all with the department." "Our
position is that she cannot simply be terminated. he was injured on duty
as a police officer; there's no question about that. Plus, they haven't
given her anywhere near "What sticks out the most about this situation as far as I'm concerned is that Sue McCune has served that department and the community very well for over eight years and now the employer wants to just throw her out like a bale of hay." |
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