WATCH: Tennessee Conductor Fired After July 4 Message Riles Passengers
A Tennessee railway conductor lost his job after a Fourth of July message to riders sparked complaints and quickly spread online.
The incident happened on the Incline Railway at Lookout Mountain, which is operated by the Chattanooga Area Regional Transportation Authority, also known as CARTA. The conductor has been identified as Jack Peterson, a seasonal employee.
During the ride, Peterson addressed passengers over the train’s speaker system. His Independence Day greeting did not land well with everyone on board.
Peterson said, “To the very, very few Americans in here, happy Independence Day.”
He then added, “To the rest of you, welcome to the greatest country on the face of the planet, and if you disagree, you can leave.”
The moment was recorded by Charles Scherer and his son, Nathan Scherer. They reported the comments to CARTA after the ride. The video later drew wider attention, and Peterson was fired the same day, according to the report.
It is not clear how many foreign visitors were actually on the train when the comments were made. Still, the remarks set off a quick response from passengers who said they felt the message crossed a line.
Nathan Scherer described the comments as “disparaging remarks about foreigners” during an interview. He also said, “Even if you were critical of the country, the idea that you have to leave if you have any complaints… the whole thing is weird to me.”
Charles Scherer also objected to the remarks, saying, “He doesn’t really know who is American and who’s not just by the way they look, so that kind of floored us,”
Speaking about CARTA’s fast action, Charles said, “That made me feel really good about CARTA and about their responsiveness to this and believing it should have been handled.
Peterson declined to comment on the situation.
CARTA Chief of Staff Scott Wilson apologized publicly after the video spread. According to Fox News, Wilson told News 9, “I want to apologize directly to the passengers who experienced this, and to everyone who has seen the video and felt its sting. It should never have happened.”
Wilson continued, “We have zero tolerance for language that demeans or excludes anyone who rides with us. For 131 years, the Incline Railway has welcomed visitors from Chattanooga and from around the world. Every passenger who boards our railway deserves to feel respected and welcome, and we are committed to making sure that is always the case,”
In a separate statement to Fox News, Wilson said, “We certainly agree this is the greatest country on the face of the planet, especially in this 250th anniversary year of the Declaration of Independence,” while also criticizing what he called “rudeness toward our guests.”
The Incline Railway is a well-known Chattanooga-area attraction and has long drawn tourists from across the country and around the world. That tourist-heavy setting appears to be a big reason CARTA moved so quickly once the complaint was filed.
The firing has now become another flashpoint in the larger debate over speech, patriotism, customer service, and how far employers should go when workers make comments that offend the public.