Pressures of Pee

You cannot make this up: Franklin Woodruff was fired after not being able to pee during a Transit Authority physical, and now, four years later, he's been reinstated, thanks to a Court of Appeals decision. The Daily News covers the story of the stock handler with the angle of "this kind of cockamanie decision making is why transit union workers are so damn mad." Woodruff, who was 60 and returning to work after surgery, had trouble peeing into a cup, which was grounds for firing. He apparently was given a lot of time (hours!) to fill a sample, but was unable to. Was there a lot of water drinking? What about water sounds, any faucets? At 60, who knew you could have problems going! Anyway, even though his later urine samples showed no signs of drug use, the TA still fired him. An arbitrator found Woodruff's firing harsh and the court agreed; now the Transit Authority may owe four years of back pay.

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