Nov 17, 2007 6:21 am US/Central
Public Defender Sues County Officials Over Layoffs
Lawsuit Claims About 30 County Employees Wrongly Terminated
CHICAGO (STNG) ―
Cook County Board President Todd Stroger and other county officials are being sued by the county public defender over the lay-offs of dozens of defender's office employees earlier this year.
A lawsuit filed Friday in Cook County Circuit Court by Public Defender Edwin Burnette alleges that Stroger and others wrongly terminated the employment of about 30 county employees in the public defender's office between Mar. 29 and Apr. 11, 2006.
Cook County Board President Todd Stroger, Chief of Staff Lance Tyson, former Chief of Human Resources Jonathan Rothstein, and Comptroller Joseph Fratto are all defendents named in the case.
The suit alleges that, under the advice and approval of Stroger and Tyson, but without the notification or approval of Burnette, current Chief of Human Resources Kim Gilmore, who has since been replaced Rothstein, delivered the approximately 30 job termination notices to attorneys and support staff members in Burnette's office.
The terminations were "arbitrary and capricious," according to the suit.
The lawsuit also says that Burnette was forced to implement a policy developed by Stroger requiring the public defender's employees to take unpaid "furlough" days. These days were allegedly forced under threat of discipline or discharge from employment, the suit said.
As a result of these required vacation days, the compensation of the office's employees fell below the fixed rate called for in the 2007 Appropriations Bill, according to the lawsuit.
Among other things, the lawsuit requests that the policy of required "furlough" days be rescinded.
A response from the county was not immediately available.
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