More than three months after losing his job, Kerry Bigelow has yet to find out if his termination is final.
Bigelow and Clyde Clark, two former Chapel Hill solid waste employees, have appealed their Oct. 29 terminations for a second time.
After their cases were originally reviewed by Town Manager Roger Stancil, Bigelow had a hearing with the town’s personnel appeals committee Thursday night at the Chapel Hill Public Library.
The appeals meeting, which was held before a committee of five residents, was open to the public at Bigelow’s request.
And while the law does not provide unemployment benefits to workers who separate from a job due to any fault of their own, Bigelow and Clark began receiving unemployment checks last month after winning a case with the Employment Security Commission of North Carolina.
During the appeal, Bigelow said he believed his termination was the town’s retaliation for his involvement in a local union and the multiple health and safety grievances he filed.
Bigelow also said he also believes the terminations were racially motivated.
Town officials, however, said the men were fired because of detrimental personal conduct.
Public Works Director Lance Norris cited several resident complaints and examples of inappropriate conduct with supervisors at Thurday’s meeting.