Battle Brewing Between City Employee & Union

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- A City of Pittsburgh employee says he's being punished by his union for turning in a co-worker who was allegedly drunk on the job.

Animal control officer Jim Genco turned in the employee last October.

"When he was yelling in my face, I smelled the alcohol, a strong scent of alcohol," said Genco

According to documents, the employee tested positive for alcohol was suspended pending termination and went to rehab.

Shortly after the incident, Leo Mincin, the suspended employee, filed a complaint with the local Teamsters union alleging that Genco harmed him by turning him in for coming to work intoxicated.

KDKA's Marty Griffin: "You filed union charges against him. You say he knowingly did harm to you."

Mincin: "You will have to talk to Joe Rossi, the union president, then sir."

Genco says he had to appear before a Teamsters trial board and was accused of breaking union rules.

"They say well why didn't you let him go in the office and sleep it off? Why not cover him up and let him sleep it off? Why didn't you call his wife to come pick him up? I have to do the right thing here," said Genco. "I couldn't let him go to work. I couldn't let him drive a city vehicle... if he would [of] crashed into somebody."

The union suspended Genco for three months and fined him $500. He says he plans to fight the ruling.

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