Pregnant Firefighter Placed on Unpaid Leave by Conn. Department

Sept. 09--BRIDGEPORT -- For the past six years, Regina Scates was proud to be one of Bridgeport's finest.

Now the 36-year-old pregnant, single mother feels like one of Bridgeport's forgotten.

The veteran firefighter, who until her pregnancy worked the hose line of Engine 15, was placed on unrequested, unpaid maternity leave on Aug. 30.

Now she fears the loss of a regular paycheck may lead to her eviction, utility shut-offs and mealtime cutbacks. Under the terms of the firefighter's contract, Scates won't be paid until she delivers her baby, who isn't expected until Dec. 26.

"If I don't have a check, I'm not going to be able to pay my rent and utilities. If I don't have any income, how am I going to be able to feed my family?" Scates said during an interview in her nicely decorated Ridgeview Avenue apartment. "It wasn't like I was calling in sick every day. I'm not trying to beat the system. I came to work. I could still work doing light duty."

Instead, she was sent home and is being forced to use her 11 days of accumulated vacation and personal time. Once that is exhausted, the checks will stop.

Scates, who is the mother of a 19-year-old and a 12-year-old, said she has become "stressed out -- this is taking a toll on my pregnancy."

Mayor Bill Finch deferred comment on the situation to the Fire Department. Chief Brian Rooney issued a statement saying the "fire department is reviewing the situation" based on its "specific collective bargaining agreement provisions."

Rooney said he is consulting with city labor and benefits officials as well as the city attorney to determine the most appropriate resolution. He said he anticipates rendering his decision "within the next couple of days."

"It's incomprehensible in 2013 that the Bridgeport Fire Department is acting in such a manner," said Thomas Bucci, a former Bridgeport mayor, who as an attorney now specializes in employment law. He took on Scates' case.

Bucci said he intends to file complaints with the Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities and the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

"The department is violating now long-established, anti pregnancy-discrimination laws on both the federal and state levels by placing Firefighter Scates on unpaid leave while she is still able to work in a light-duty capacity," Bucci said. "Treating pregnancy differently than any other disability is strictly prohibited under the federal Civil Rights Act and the Connecticut Fair Employment Practices Act."

"This should be a big concern to the city," said Joel Christy, president of the Firebirds Society, which represents black firefighters. "Here's a woman who risked her life for the city and who is now six months pregnant and having complications. For them to tell her on her 90th day of light duty that she has to go home and is not going to be paid for four months is outrageous. They're adding more stress to an already complicated pregnancy. Yet they don't seem to care."

Richard Paoletto, who with Michael Marella Jr., serves as the councilman in Scates' district, said he only became aware of the incident when contacted by Hearst Connecticut Newspapers. Marella did not respond to calls or emails, nor did Robert Whitbread, the firefighters' union president.

"I'm going to poke around and see what I can find out," Paoletto said. "We're talking about a first responder here. These are people the city depends upon in its time of need. Now she needs our help. We should look for any wiggle room possible to help out."

Paoletto admitted he doesn't know a lot about the firefighters' contract, but will do his best to find out what happened here.

Scates said her medical issues began when she discovered being pregnant in May. Since then, she began intermittently experiencing symptoms of nausea, dizziness, dehydration and fatigue. Her doctor prescribed light-duty work for her, which, under the union contract, can last only 90 days, according to her and Christy.

The symptoms forced her to use some of her sick leave in May, June, July and August. While Scates said this all should be attributed to one occurrence, the city is counting it as four separate incidents. They are then combining it with three other occurrences of sick time, dating back to October 2012. As a result, Scates said, they have disciplined her for overuse of sick time, taken away three overtime shifts and placed a notice of abuse in her file.

"I'm afraid they are targeting me for termination," Scates said.

She said she suspects that's because she filed three verbal sexual harassment complaints against three superior officers over the years. But in those six years, Scates has been on the front line, handling a hose at many East Side fires.

One fire, in particular, took place on Feb. 9, 2012 in a three-family home on East Main Street. Scates was on the third floor spraying the blaze. At one point there was a flash explosion that injured two firefighters.

"This is a dangerous job, but I love doing it," she said. "I don't want to lose my job because I am pregnant and having complications."

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