Four Former Employees Sue Jefferson County
By Gordon Hopkins
Four former employees of the Jefferson County Highway Department are now suing the county over what they contend is wrongful termination.
Roben Ruhnke, Danny Meyer, Steve McNitt and Ron Bray were employed as motor grader operators. They were fired from their jobs on November 25, 2025. The reason given were falsifying timesheets, insubordination and improper use of company vehicles and company time.
According to the highway department, the employees did not follow procedure when they attempted to schedule a meeting with the county commissioners on November 18. The employees were not on the agenda for that meeting and did not meet with commissioners on that day but were still at the county courthouse, outside the meeting room.
A week later, all four were informed they were being terminated from their positions.
All four employees are members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 1536. According to the lawsuit, the union agreement “requires that any discharge of their employment be supported by ‘just cause’ and that prior to the discharge of any employee, the county is required to hold a due process meeting with the employee and the Union.”
A public grievance hearing was held on January 27, and was continued for further hearing on February 10, 2026.
“They were standing around,” Assistant Highway Supervisor Terry Blas testified at the hearing. “They were supposed to be working at their position and they weren’t working.”
After the hearings, commissioners upheld the termination.
The lawsuit also claims that the petitioners’ due process rights were violated when the commissioners were not compelled to testify at the hearings. During the grievance hearings, both Jefferson County and the employees were represented by counsel. Both parties had the opportunity to examine and cross-examine witnesses, except for the commissioners. According to the lawsuit, counsel for the employees “sought to call the members of the County Board of Commissioners, who were not allowed to testify and who refused to testify or to be called as witnesses in the matter.”
No court dates are currently scheduled.
