[Nfbk] FW: [Chapter-presidents] Arbitrator rules in favorof Christine Boone, former director of Michigan Commission

Mon Jun 6 13:30:01 UTC 2011

I am totally blind and am a reasonably good marksman with both a hand gun 
and a rifle.
My Dad taught me to shoot as a child, and I taught my children to do the 
same.

George Stokes, NFBk
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "cindy smith" <cindy.smith8109 at insightbb.com>
To: "NFB of Kentucky Internet Mailing List" <nfbk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Monday, June 06, 2011 8:48 AM
Subject: Re: [Nfbk] FW: [Chapter-presidents] Arbitrator rules in favorof 
Christine Boone, former director of Michigan Commission

>I absolutely agree with you!
>
> Cindy Smith
>
>
> On Jun 5, 2011, at 8:44 PM, Nickie Pearl wrote:
>
>> Read the following and see if you agree with me...Maybe Mr. Cannon  was 
>> just
>> scared of what the consumers would do to him!
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: chapter-presidents-bounces at nfbnet.org
>> [mailto:chapter-presidents-bounces at nfbnet.org]On Behalf Of David  Andrews
>> Sent: Saturday, June 04, 2011 11:02 PM
>> To: david.andrews at nfbnet.org
>> Subject: [Chapter-presidents] Arbitrator rules in favor of Christine
>> Boone, former director of Michigan Commission
>>
>>
>>
>>> From: "J.J. Meddaugh" <jj at bestmidi.com>
>>> To: "NFB of Kalamazoo Michigan List" <nfb-kzoo at nfbnet.org>,     "NFB
>>> of Michigan Internet Mailing List"
>>> <nfbmi-talk at nfbnet.org>
>>> Date: Wed, 25 May 2011 13:40:32 -0400
>>> Subject: [Nfb-kzoo] Arbitrator rules in favor of Christine
>>> Boone,       former director of Michigan
>>> Commission
>>>
>>>> From Kalamazoo Gazette
>>>
>>> KALAMAZOO -
>>> The former director of the Michigan Commission for the Blind
>>> Training Center here,
>>> fired in February, 2010 in a dispute about a marksmanship class
>>> offered to students, should get her job back, with back pay and 
>>> benefits,
>>> a hearing officer has ruled
>>> .
>>> "After careful review of all the facts and circumstances, it is
>>> clear that (former
>>> director Christine) Boone performed her work in good faith and with
>>> reasonable diligence,"
>>> arbitrator Michael P. Long wrote in his ruling, a copy of which was
>>> provided by Boone.
>>> A spokesman for the Michigan Department of Energy, Labor & Economic
>>> Growth, which
>>> oversees the training center, said via e-mail Wednesday that the
>>> department had just
>>> received the order, had not yet had an opportunity to review it, and
>>> so had no further
>>> comment.
>>> Boone, 51, said she learned the news from her lawyer Tuesday that
>>> the state labor
>>> arbitrator had ruled in her favor and was "delighted" by the outcome.
>>> "I came to Kalamazoo four years to be the training center's
>>> director, and my whole
>>> mission, my energy,  my time and my passion was to create an
>>> environment where blind
>>> people would be challenged and receive skills they need to enter the
>>> work force,"
>>> she told the Kalamazoo Gazette today in an interview.
>>> "I'm looking forward to having an opportunity to continue the work I
>> started."
>>> Boone was fired after her boss Patrick Cannon, director of the
>>> Michigan Commission
>>> for the Blind in Lansing, became upset to learn of a marksmanship
>>> class being offered
>>> at the school,  a year-round training facility for blind adults.
>>> In the class, blind students used spring-powered pellet guns to
>>> shoot at targets.
>>> Boone said Cannon gave his verbal consent for the class; he denied
>>> that, and said
>>> the class violated state safety and firearms rules.
>>> At the arbitration hearing, the record shows, Cannon argued Boone
>>> had deceived him,
>>> intending to use the class to embarrass him.
>>> "It appears that there may well have been a misunderstanding or
>>> miscommunication
>>> between Ms. Boone and Mr. Cannon," Long wrote. "Ms. Boone believed
>>> she had Mr. Cannon's
>>> approval for the marksmanship class, while Mr. Cannon believes he
>>> had not approved
>>> the class.  ... If one assumes both witnesses are telling the truth,
>>> there was simply
>>> a misunderstanding, and not a work rule violation."
>>> The arbitrator said it was clear to all parties that firearms are
>>> not allowed on
>>> state property, but less clear that the pellet guns used in class
>>> constituted firearms.
>>> He noted that, "Mr. Cannon, after informing Ms. Boone that the
>>> pellet rifles were
>>> "firearms," which are not allowed on state property, ordered Ms.
>>> Boone to transport
>>> the pellet rifles to his office on state property in Lansing so that
>>> he could examine
>>> them."
>>> "It has not been shown that the (Boone) purposely violated any of
>>> the rules or regulations
>>> with which she is charged," the finding concludes.
>>> "There is not just cause for discipline or discharge in this matter."
>>> Boone, has been blind since birth. She was  hired as Director of the
>>> Michigan Training
>>> Center  for the Blind in October, 2006 by the Michigan Commission
>>> for the Blind.
>>> Best Regards,
>>> J.J. Meddaugh
>>> A T Guys
>>> Your Assistive Technology Experts
>>> (269) 216-4798
>>> http://www.ATGuys.com
>>
>>
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