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City Officials Redefine the Meaning of "Work"

A brief article (below) in today's Atlanta Journal Constitution states that "City officials said Coffin was dismissed because of his “inability to work (italics mine) in a team environment.'"

I wish the AJC would do a story on what constitutes "work" in the City of Atlanta. Because whatever it is, I'm pretty sure Tom Coffin wasn't doing it.

Fired Arborist Files Suit to Reclaim Job
by Eric Sturgis
February 17, 2009

An arborist fired last year by Atlanta is suing to get his job back.

Thomas Coffin filed a lawsuit Friday in Fulton County Superior Court claiming he was let go in violation of the state’s “whistle-blower” act, which prohibits government workers from being fired as a reprisal for making a public complaint about an employee or government to the employer.

Coffin, a senior arborist, believes he was fired because he complained to supervisors that some arborists were not following the city’s tree ordinance.

City officials said Coffin was dismissed because of his “inability to work in a team environment.”

Coffin is asking for his job back and unspecified compensatory damages.


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