By Susan Weich
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
ST. CHARLES COUNTY, Mo. — A paramedic for the county ambulance district has filed a federal lawsuit alleging the district repeatedly discriminated against him while he served as a Navy reservist and a member of the Illinois National Guard.
Matthew Lindewirth, a 17-year veteran of the district, also said he was denied pay, promotions and light duty after he was injured while transporting classified information in Africa.
The suit names current and former members of the district board as well as the current CEO Taz Meyer.
In a written statement, the district said it “strongly denied” the allegations.
“The St. Charles County Ambulance District strongly supports our veterans, and proudly employs numerous current and former military personnel,” the statement said. “Likewise, the employment policies of the district are supportive of the men and women who have served our nation.”
Lindewirth’s suit said his mistreatment included being harassed when he pointed out district violations of the Uniformed Services Employment and Re-employment Act of 1994. He was forced to apologize to then-CEO Ken Koch and the board for challenging district policy by reporting it to the Department of Defense, the suit claims.
In addition, the lawsuit claims Koch told two other employees who were in the military at the time that “everything” was going to be taken away from them because of Lindewirth’s actions. This led to arguments between Lindewirth and other employees as well as the berating of Lindewirth, according to the lawsuit.
Lindewirth claims he was not paid the differential between his military pay and his paramedic pay, despite other employees getting that money. In addition, the district failed to pay his retirement benefits for six years while he was on military duty. While deployed another time, it canceled his insurance, sick time and vacation, the suit says.
After Lindewirth injured both arms in Africa in 2012, he had to have three operations, and the district tried to force him to take time off under the Family Medical Leave Act, which would not have provided him enough time to recover, according to the suit.
In addition, when Lindewirth returned, the district refused to place him on light duty and as a result, his recovery allegedly was compromised.
“Members of the military like Lindewirth risk all, and when they come back they shouldn’t have to deal with employers that can’t even follow the law,” said his attorney, Lynette Petruska.
©2014 the St. Louis Post-Dispatch