Metra ordered to pay employee who made safety complaint $38,000 in OT
BY ROSALIND ROSSI Transportation Reporter/rrossi@suntimes.com April 23, 2013 2:18PM
Updated: April 23, 2013 6:46PM
Metra has been ordered to pay more than $38,000 in overtime for improperly eliminating a veteran employee’s position after he made a safety complaint, federal officials said Tuesday.
The 22-year employee contended that Metra closed his position as a signal testman and gave him another signal testman job without overtime after he complained that he could not adequately test signals without working off-hours and incurring overtime.
The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration found Metra violated whistleblower protections with its actions and ordered the suburban rail agency to pay $38,080 for 13 months of missed overtime, $500 in compensatory damages, plus interest and attorney’s fees.
A Metra spokesman said the agency is reviewing the decision.
