EDWARDSVILLE — A former Terminal Railroad employee claims she was fired due to her whistleblower activities and over union member financial incentives.
Patricia Dohogne filed a complaint Oct. 9 in the Madison County Circuit Court against Terminal Railroad Association, Michael Dundas, Brad Ragland, Matt Whitney, Adam Mahlandt, Joe Bentrup, Anthony Bruns and Jessica Kasten, alleging wrongful termination.
According to the complaint, Dohogne became a train dispatcher for Terminal Railroad on June 10, 2008, after working her way up from switchman, conductor, crest tower operator and yardmaster.
She alleges that while working in the Terminal Railroad operations control center on June 13, 2015, she notified her supervisor that a locomotive had committed a violation by running "past a stop signal." She alleges that when nothing was done about the situation, she reported the violation to the Federal Railroad Administration.
Dohogne claims she faced retaliation for reporting the infraction and faced suspension, reassignment and was eventually fired on Oct. 9, 2015. She also alleges her firing was in part due to a new labor union contract that provided a financial incentive for other union members to keep her from returning to her employment with Terminal Railroad.
Dohogne seeks monetary relief of more than $50,000 and all other just relief. She is represented by Phillip Baldwin of The Scroggins Law Office LTD in Granite City.
Madison County Circuit Court case number 20-L-001434