Rail worker fired over 'graphic' social media posts: report

Stephanie Katelnikoff says she was fired from her job with Canadian Pacific Railway for what they deemed "inappropriate" social media posts. (Courtesy of Facebook)

A female train conductor in Canada has been fired for a second time by Canadian Pacific Railway after the company deemed her social media posts inappropriate and “graphic.”

According to documents obtained by CBC News, CPR fired Stephanie Katelnikoff in November after she allegedly violated the company’s code of ethics.

The documents reportedly contain photos of Katelnikoff’s social media posts, some of which are sexually suggestive while in others, she criticizes CPR and its management, CBC News reported.

CPR previously fired Katelnikoff in connection with a December 2014 derailment of a train she had been conducting. However, she resumed working for the company after winning a wrongful dismissal case. An arbitrator found she had been dismissed, among other reasons, for filing a sexual harassment complaint against another employee.

Katelnikoff is now claiming that her latest firing is about her suggestive photos as well as the negative comments she made about CPR.

"I think it was a 50/50 split between the two. When I got dismissed, they blanketed everything together and said I was being dismissed for my inappropriate social media content. So I'm not sure what of my content they've deemed appropriate and inappropriate," she said. "The investigative officer called my social media content graphic."

Katelnikoff said while she regrets some of her comments, she does not regret posting the photos because they are part of her modeling hobby and amount to only 10 percent of her posts.

Drew Jarisz, an Edmonton-based workplace lawyer, said an employee can be disciplined for criticizing an employer online, but “racy” photos are a different matter.

"I find it very difficult in this case to see how these racy images could impact the ability of CP to carry on business," Jarisz said.

Teamsters Canada, Katelnikoff’s trade union, has filed a grievance on her behalf. CBC News reached out to CPR for an interview but the company did not respond.