Fired worker argues marijuana use didn’t violate company policy
Bernadette Coughlin, 55, of Methuen, was fired last month.
METHUEN, Mass. (AP) — A Massachusetts woman who was fired by a food services company for her recreational marijuana use says she was wrongfully terminated.
The Eagle-Tribune reports that 55-year-old Bernadette Coughlin was fired last month from her job as a supervisor with Sodexo at Holy Family Hospital after she was drug tested following a fall at work. The Methuen woman says she had used pot after work a few days before the incident.
Recreational marijuana is legal in Massachusetts. However, Sodexo operates under federal jurisdiction.
Coughlin has requested arbitration with Sodexo.
Her attorney says Coughlin’s off-duty pot use didn’t violate company policy because it didn’t affect her performance or safety. The attorney says there were discrepancies with the test’s handling.
A Sodexo spokesman said the company is evaluating its policies around marijuana.
