Man fired from Port Authority gets job back after decision overturned

PITTSBURGH — A black and white cotton mask that read “Black Lives Matter” is what Sascha Craig, a 30-year-old veteran of Port Authority, says cost him his job back in 2020.

“What we tried to tell them is ‘Black Lives Matter’ is not a political protest,” Craig said. “You give your blood, sweat and tears to a company for over half your life, so how do I feel? I feel betrayed.”

For five months at the height of the pandemic with no PPE supply for employees, Craig worked and wore his mask, and told Channel 11 he had no issue.

“None of my coworkers had a problem with it,” he said. “None of the passengers had a probelm with it, until the Port Authority implemented a change in the uniform policy.”

The policy change would ban workers from wearing “Black Lives Matter” masks and all political masks, the company insisting the decision came after complaints.

“Originally it said ‘Black Lives Matter’, so I put a mask on that said ‘Black Matter,’” he said.

Craig told us that he and other workers sued, and on Nov. 10, 2020, he testified against Port Authority over their new uniform policy.

Two days later, he was let go.

“Strangely and oddly enough, November 12, the Port Authority fired me for a trumped-up charge,” Craig said. “They said I stole five and a half hours of overtime.”

Craig was let go for time sheet fraud. Craig fought that decision, and in February of this year, it was found that his firing was both wrongful and illegal.

“Port Authority violated our first amendment rights,” Craig said.

Employees of the company also were granted a preliminary injunction which allows them to wear the very mask Craig said he was fired for, but the Port Authority has appealed.

“This is what democracy looks like,” he said. “Democracy does work if you’re not afraid to apply it.”

Port Authority provided 11 News with this comment:

“Absolutely no Port Authority employees were terminated for wearing or supporting the wearing of ‘Black Lives Matter’ or any other political masks.”

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