Local 150 Andrew Gasser Firing Grievance re Former McHenry County Board Democrat Nick Chirikos Hire by Bob Miller Withdraw

From Illinois Leaks, reprinted with permission:

Algonquin Township Road District – Terminated employee Nick Chirikos to get nothing!

BY JMKRAFT ON MARCH 25, 2020 • ( LEAVE A COMMENT )

McHenry Co. (ECWd) –

With a flurry of reporting on terminations that took place on day one of Andrew Gasser’s taking office as the Algonquin Township Road District Highway Commissioner, many insisted those terminations were without merit and political yet provided nothing to support such claims other than their opinion.

Former Democratic Party McHenry County Board member Nick Chirikos

Nick Chirikos was hired by Bob Miller in what appeared to be nothing more than a political payback since he lost to Andrew Gasser, the same person who beat Nick Chirikos for a County Board seat.

Gasser terminated Chirikos because he did not have the required CDL license for the position and was the most junior person hit by reducing the overall size of the workforce.

Local 150 notified the arbitrator March 18, 2020, that they have withdrawn their grievance with the Road District.

“This is to inform you that the Grievant has fully mitigated his damages and is taking a job assignment out-of-state. 

For those reasons, Local 150 hereby withdraws the just cause grievance filed on behalf of Nick Chirikos and respectfully requests to cancel all further proceedings before you.”

Let this sink in. 

What does taking a job out of state have to do with recovering almost three years of compensation? 

Who does that? 

“Mitigated his damages”? 

With who?

Or is the truth of the matter there were grounds for the termination and they knew it? 

That question will never get answered by an arbitrator but one fact is for sure, the Road District paid nothing to Chirikos which means the taxpayers kept those wages of approximately $143,000.00 plus benefits. 

Does anyone believe a person who thinks they actually had a valid grievance would simply walk away from $143,000.00 plus cash for benefits?

There is one more termination case to be determined by the Courts related to the first day’s terminations by Gasser.

We will update when we get the results of the court’s ruling.

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Comments

Local 150 Andrew Gasser Firing Grievance re Former McHenry County Board Democrat Nick Chirikos Hire by Bob Miller Withdraw — 24 Comments

  1. Great Jim.

    It still cost us legal fees when all Gasser had to do on day one, instead of charging in like Pickett’s charge, was sit down with Mr. Chirikos, like an adult and say, We are eliminating the position, we are over staffed.

  2. Pokorny, you really think that Chirikos would have said ok I understand!

    I almost fell out of my chair when you said that!

    This still would have went on no matter how Gasser approached this!

    No one walks away from $150k especially when you don’t have to pay up for a lawyer!

    They didn’t want to get beat down!

    Local 150 doesn’t walk away either!

    Great job again by Gasser!

  3. I’ve dealt with the union.

    They would have had nothing to say by eliminating the position.

    people get laid off all the time.

  4. It’s how you handle it and the gasbag handled it badly.

  5. Another misleading puff piece for Gasser, the Dog’s waltzing continues it’s bias bs.

    Let’s see starting with the $143k plus nonsense, that would be total if Nick didn’t work the whole time since getting fired, so not a accurate figure.

    Gasser did have the right to downsize a valid excuse to terminate, but not having a CDL as a excuse to terminate not so much as when hired most employee are/can be given a time period to get a CDL, like 90 to 120 day.

    Gasser then hired 2 new employees with out CDLs, Hanlon did some fine waltzing himself with that excuse.

    Nick and the Union should be thanked for not being suit happy like Gasser/Hanlon, they see the writing on the wall and are doing the right thing for the tax payers.

    Nick was hired and fired because of politics, that’s the facts.

    At the present time Ryan, Daniel, and Derek are still not reinstated and court action can be expected if Gasser keeps ignoring the arbitrator.

    The wasted legal games go on sadly.

    Since almost all employees Gasser’s hired have joined the union, wouldn’t that be some info worth sharing?

    Why are the Dog’s treating us like mushrooms all the time, misleading and incomplete info, so much just like the rest of the media?

  6. Hanlon did good.

    Bob is a Millerite or Miller himself……. a complete puke

  7. Hey Robin, go read the article.

    The $143K figure was based on the whole time he did not work, approximatly 3 years.

  8. What about the other income he had coming in during that time was the point!

    Basing your lip service on just what Gasser tells ya has been proven to be less than inclusive, and you know that friend.

  9. So why should we have Townships since they are going to go UNION? Wasn’t that one of the reasons Townships said because they were not UNION they save money? County is UNION that would cost to much money to have the County take over.

  10. The amount given by Gasser to the Dog’s would not be the amount paid out if Nick did win the arbitration, he’s made other income so the reward would be less just like it was for the rest of those fired that also had income during the time after being fired.

    Dog’s and you are media, so you put out fake news just like the NWH and the rest of the media.

    Yup!!!!!!

    I’ve suggested all along that every gov agency within the County that deals with road maintenance get together and realign who maintains what to the tax payers benefit.

    Cary Alg rd should be maintained by either the township because their maintenance garage is closer.

    Village of Cary could maintain that same road, or split it depending on legal borders.

    IDOT garage in Woodstock should be closed, the other local govs should pick up daily maintenance.

    Depending on the smit given to townships about consolidation or elimination will determined when unionization will happen, or the next election when people like Bob Anderson get elected that berate the township employees.

    Cary Public works Unionized shortly after a election.

    If you don’t like the laws get them changed.

  11. So now Robin admits there is an offset applied.

    Before it was how they would bankrupt the township when they came back due to all the money they would be owed.

    I said not true and now, thanks to Robin’s admission we were right once again.

    LOL

    Cant make this stuff up.

  12. Townships should NOT exist within incorporated boundaries.

    That is the first step towards justifying their existence and costs.

  13. “Townships should NOT exist within incorporated boundaries.”

    Using that logic we shouldn’t have to pay taxes to the county, state, or fed if you live in a municipality.

    Sounds great, but we are a socialized nation a fact some just don’t seem to understand.

    Kirk loves to waltz peoples words to fit his political agenda of bias BS.

    No one makes it up better than the Dog’s, they should be working for Trump instead of propping up the loser at AT.

  14. Allow me to explain.

    “Mitigated damages” is legal speak for the difference between what I would have earned as an employee of Algonquin Township, and what I actually earned during that period after I was terminated.

    I earned significantly more money after termination, therefore, I was not eligible to collect back pay.

    It’s as simple as that.

    As for my out-of-state job assignment, The tentative date for my arbitration hearing would have required a round-trip flight back to Chicago (at my expense) on the hope that Gasser’s attorney would honor the date, which he has canceled the last three times.

    Based on these facts, I saw no point in pursuing the matter any further.

    I instructed the union’s legal team to withdraw the grievance. It was exclusively my decision.

    There is no truth to the assertion that I was fired for not having a CDL.

    There were no grounds for any terminations on the first day of Gasser’s term as road commissioner.

    He simply refused to acknowledge the existing collective bargaining agreement.

    As with the other arbitration wins and orders of reinstatement, I am confident I would have won mine.

    I hope that this clarifies your understanding of the issue, if understanding is on your agenda.

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