Train Operator Says Fainting Wasn't Grounds for Firing

MANHATTAN (CN) – An MTA-Metro North Railroad engineer was wrongfully fired for crashing his train into a “bumping block” at Grand Central Station when a fainting condition caused him to black out on the job, Wayne Giraud claims in Federal Court.     “A series of medical tests were performed and they all came back negative for controlled substances and chemicals,” the complaint claims. “However, Mr. Giraud was diagnosed with having suffered an episode of syncope (i.e., fainting).”     Giraud says he filed a grievance with his union, stating, “I really don’t know what happened … I remember thinking that the conductor wanted me to stop the train by the staircase … Then I don’t remember what happened until I saw people looking at me and asking if I was okay.”     The union brief said the neurologist who examined Giraud concluded that there is “no cause to believe” that Giraud “is any more prone to another ‘fainting’ episode than any other operating employee.”     Giraud’s wrongful termination case against MTA-Metro North Railroad was filed by attorney Kenneth Richardson.