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Weather Channel Anchor Who Says She Was Fired for Military Service Speaks Out in New Interview

Nicole Mitchell Air Force Weather Channel Fired 1

Image source: Facebook

The former Weather Channel anchor who says she was fired over her status as an Air Force reserve officer gave an extensive interview to radio host Joe “Pags” Pagliarulo on Monday, laying out her lawsuit against the network.

As The Blaze previously reported, Nicole Mitchell is suing the Weather Channel and its parent companies for violating her rights under the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994, claiming her contract wasn‘t renewed because management didn’t want to contend with the time she took off military duties.

In one instance, she said she was reprimanded for choosing her weekend Air Force commitment over a hair appointment. In another, she said she was told she had to first clear any military duties with her superiors.

“All they’ve ever said is business decision, business decision,” Mitchell told Pagliarulo, a frequent fill-in host for Glenn Beck. “But when you look at it in the context of being harassed up to that point…it’s just like an employer that discriminates over anything else.”

She continued, “If you had a minority that was being harassed, harassed, harassed and then all of a sudden was let go, oh we don’t have a reason why, it was just a business reason, you know, you would look at that history and say, well if that’s the only thing that the employer ever had to complain about, this is what it is.”

Mitchell, who holds the rank of captain, said there were never any major issues until the Weather Channel was sold in 2008 to NBC Universal and private equity firms Bain Capital and the Blackstone Group.

“We’d had some scheduling challenges from time to time, but I never felt like my job was in peril or I’d never had statements like, ‘This impacts everyone’ — basically that my military service was inconvenient to them,” she said.

Mitchell said she didn’t initially want to go public with the lawsuit.

“If you’re the person that files the lawsuit, no matter how justified it is, there’s a certain stigma attached to that,” she said. But ultimately, “we really wanted to raise awareness of how widespread this problem is. There’s a lot of great employers, but the ones that aren’t doing the right thing really make it miserable for people who are already sacrificing a lot.”

Listen to the full interview below:

Comments (38)

  • Gimme Shelter
    Posted on June 12, 2012 at 9:13pm

    TWC, which is a joke to begin with, does this to her, but they keep Abrams. She is so annoying!!

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  • Fat Pappy
    Posted on June 12, 2012 at 1:55pm

    Weather Channel is the last place I look, too many other better and more user friendly sites. Good luck Ms Mitchell; I hope you make enough off them to retire and for them to feel the pain for some time to come.

    Report Post »  
  • yankeeredneck
    Posted on June 12, 2012 at 9:47am

    I am a retired Air Force member, with 9 years of service in the Air National Guard. My employer was absolutely accommodating to my military commitments and even paid me full pay while I was at two-week annual training. I think this case is the exception, rather than the rule and should be pursued legally. Thanks for your service!

    Report Post »  
  • thenewhickschick
    Posted on June 12, 2012 at 12:35am

    The Weather Channel is currently making money off of the efforts of Air Force Reservists on Hurricane Hunters: Extreme Meteorology.

    Report Post »  
  • cmonnow
    Posted on June 11, 2012 at 10:00pm

    I wish Ms. Mitchell well in her suit. Unfortunately, she shows bias and ignorance in her comment that “If you had a minority that was being harassed, harassed, harassed and then all of a sudden was let go, oh we don’t have a reason why, it was just a business reason, you know, you would look at that history and say, well if that’s the only thing that the employer ever had to complain about, this is what it is.”

    Private business can cloak almost anything as “business judgment.” If you have no evidence of discrimination, you don’t have a case.

    Also, quite the irony that her harassment began after the Weather Channel was bought by Bain Capital and Blackstone… http://radio.foxnews.com/toddstarnes/top-stories/weather-channel-anchor-says-she-was-fired-over-military-service.html Private equity could care less about service members. What do you expect from these Romney institutions – let’s not forget that he was a pro-war protester in his youth, despite his exemption from military service to serve as a missionary ….in France

    LOLOL at all of you Blazers who cast a vote for Romney

    Report Post »  
    • BerkeleyTourGuide
      Posted on June 11, 2012 at 10:34pm

      I liked her, she was gutsy, she rode in planes that flew into hurricanes. But I got out of the military in the 90′s and my husband stayed in for 20 years……and I found out quite early that when I mentioned military they would not hire me….So when I stopped mentioning it I got job offers left and right. Go figure…….

      Report Post » BerkeleyTourGuide  
    • topperj
      Posted on June 11, 2012 at 10:59pm

      I am more inclined to think the editorial judgements of The Weather Channel were affected more by NBC-types , known Obama sycophants, than a private equity firm.

      Report Post »  
    • pepjrp
      Posted on June 12, 2012 at 3:24am

      The ignorance and bias is all yours Einstein, That was a perfect comparison. But then again, you think Romney people are giving her a hard time about being a reservist? You do know that liberals as a rule, dislike the military and rarely ever join? But they are big on flag burning, so I can see how you got the two confused.

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    • conservativejon
      Posted on June 12, 2012 at 7:56am

      first of all the Weather Channel is an affiliate of NBC they are the ones that make the decisions. Bain is an investment group. take off your bias liberal beer goggles. Also blackstone is an obama supporter. who is more likely to bash a service member? NBC and an obama supporter or bain? Think first, then post.

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    • PATRIOTINTN
      Posted on June 12, 2012 at 8:02am

      @CMON, you left out one very important entity in the buy-out of the Weather Channel, NBC. They are the ones who choose the programming and determine what politically correct positions the will air. Arguably, they are one of the most left-leaning major networks in existence and don’t like what the military does, so this decision had nothing to do with the private equity firms. Bain and Blackstone only want their investments to pay off. Don’t you want your investments to pay off?

      Report Post »  
  • pissantno.10
    Posted on June 11, 2012 at 9:16pm

    its the weather channel the only people who watch it are worred about the polar bears. good luck to her but she will have a tough time getting thing out Al Gore and friends

    Report Post »  
  • BaldViking
    Posted on June 11, 2012 at 7:55pm

    I always wondered what happened to her on the Weather Channel and now I know. We are 2nd cousins on my Dad‘s side so I’ve taken an interest in her career since ‘03.

    I’ll have to tell my story. It goes back to a stormy night in southeastern Kansas during the summer of ‘03. We had tornado warnings in the area and they let us go home early from work due to the weather.

    When I got home, I turned the TV on to keep an eye on the weather and called my Dad. As a weather update came on, I saw Nicole on TV and it said something like “Early Warning Weather Forecaster, Nicole Mitchell”. Well, since that’s my last name, I said to my Dad, “This is cool, the weather forecaster’s name is Nicole Mitchell.” My Dad said, “Is she blonde and pretty?” to which I said yes, and I figured his response would be something like, “Well, it figures, since her last name is Mitchell!” but instead he said, “That might be your cousin’s daughter.”

    After a hanging up with my Dad and looking up her bio on KJRH’s website (Dialup. Yuck!) I called my Dad and told him and he said that he’d call his brother (Nicole’s Grandfather) in the morning and find out.

    The next morning the phone rang and it was my Dad and he said, “Yup, he said that’s her!”

    I ended up contacting her via her email on KJRH and she invited me to a BBQ she was having at her new house and we all had a good time.

    She’s very nice, and I‘m proud of what she’s accomplished and I wish her the very be

    Report Post » BaldViking  
    • pepjrp
      Posted on June 12, 2012 at 3:25am

      Congratulations… that is really neat that she is your cousin. I can see why you are so proud and now she is giving you new things to be proud of.

      Report Post »  
  • AustinMilbarge
    Posted on June 11, 2012 at 6:24pm

    I’m the G.M. of a contracting company and we bend over backwards for our troops! We seek former military and active reservists for our company. Anyone who works military hours for military pay is more than welcome here, where they work a lot less hours for a lot more pay! We’ve never had a problem with reservist taking time off to serve and protect us. It doesn’t suprise me one bit that NBC feels differently.

    Report Post »  
  • Tankertony
    Posted on June 11, 2012 at 6:17pm

    She can forecast my weather any day.

    Report Post » Tankertony  
  • Armyof One
    Posted on June 11, 2012 at 6:10pm

    …………………………she can fly me :)

    Report Post » Armyof One  
  • Walkabout
    Posted on June 11, 2012 at 5:51pm

    If management does not have to juggle schedules a little subordinate employees, one has to ask do we really need them & are they worth the salary.

    If everything ran like clockwork without any conflicts would there be managers?

    Or would managers be replaced by accountants & book keepers?

    Report Post »  
  • ElihuIrenicon
    Posted on June 11, 2012 at 5:28pm

    Joe Pags to hot weather girl: “Do me a favor, can we keep in touch?”
    We don’t hear Joe asking the fat, ugly chicks he meets on his radio show to keep in touch now do we??
    Some on call Obama! This has to be violating some new FAA Obama Administration regulation or something….

    Report Post »  
  • Deckle
    Posted on June 11, 2012 at 5:18pm

    I hope she wins this case. As a woman, I have had to fight my whole life in the workforce so I know what she is going thru. You go girl! Thank you for protecting our country and I am praying that you win!

    Report Post »  
  • SpartanMarine01
    Posted on June 11, 2012 at 5:16pm

    What a travesty. Any company that says it is American and operates on American soil, had better support any and all Americans in the uniformed services…….period. I hope she owns this channel when all is said and done…..

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  • Individualism
    Posted on June 11, 2012 at 5:14pm

    There not the only company that would do that many of them that need their workers working longer hours often would not even accept an applicant that needed time off to that extent, harsh world we live in.

    Report Post » Individualism  
  • RJJinGadsden
    Posted on June 11, 2012 at 5:08pm

    Current owners, NBC and GE. Need we say any more?

    Report Post » RJJinGadsden  
    • Keeva
      Posted on June 11, 2012 at 7:01pm

      Actually Comcast owns NBC/Universal and TWC.

      Report Post »  
    • Keeva
      Posted on June 11, 2012 at 7:02pm

      Actually Comcast, bain and Blackstone own NBC/Universal.

      Report Post »  
  • 2smart
    Posted on June 11, 2012 at 4:51pm

    I don’t watch them much anymore. The forecasts I receive on TV are less than accurate. It almost appears they update the report by looking out the window. They forecast a 30% chance of rain and then when the storms are coming over the horizon into the Dallas area it bumps to 60%, or 80% if it’s a massive storm almost magicly. I have observed this many times.

    Report Post » 2smart  
    • Gonzo
      Posted on June 11, 2012 at 4:58pm

      Most people under 80 don’t watch it.

      Report Post » Gonzo  
  • Nevermind
    Posted on June 11, 2012 at 4:47pm

    Something is fishy with this story and it doesnt add up. I served in the Air force and did soem time in the reserves as well and can say in reserves you have pretty much your weekends and summer planned in January and can give your employer all the dates you will be serving. The only exception is time of war when you could be deployed but that is the given. If TWC knew her dates and wouldnt allow her tie off for that then they will be sued and lose. It coudl be she is just making excuses and using military and an excuse for time off. Orders are orders and no private employer can trump orders.

    Report Post »  
    • RJJinGadsden
      Posted on June 11, 2012 at 5:10pm

      To me, it looked as thought they sought out the long term notification of dates of military activity and set her up. Not on all, but some.

      Report Post » RJJinGadsden  
    • Keeva
      Posted on June 11, 2012 at 7:04pm

      This has more to do with her knowing more about hurricanes than resident egomaniac Cantore. Also, as a Hurricane Hunter, her callups were not always scheduled. Often that squadron goes based on tropical activity.

      Report Post »  
  • Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
    Posted on June 11, 2012 at 4:42pm

    I hope she wins this case. This ongoing war against the military and veterans by the admin and their cronies is non stop and destructive.

    Report Post » Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}  
    • cmonnow
      Posted on June 11, 2012 at 9:38pm

      The Weather Channel is a cable/satellite news network – i.e. private industry. How in the world is the “the administration” ??

      Report Post »  
    • kathin9
      Posted on June 12, 2012 at 2:01am

      Cmon, Hello, we are talking NBC controlled, have you ever in your life seen a bigger PR campaign for the current administration than NBC and its affiliates do? No Really. Nicole Mitchell was a bright light at the Weather Station, which currently produces only weather readers. Ooopsie and global warming advocates. Reality show city is all the weather station is, and they are as incompetent as the boob in White House.

      Report Post »  
  • MAULEMALL
    Posted on June 11, 2012 at 4:40pm

    Gonna get some oDat oba mama money.. I mean Msnbc Money

    Report Post » MAULEMALL  
  • tzion
    Posted on June 11, 2012 at 4:34pm

    I recently filled out a job application and when asked to state my availability the instructions indicated that unavailability should be limited to reasons OTHER than religious obligations and military training. I couldn’t help but find that somewhat unusual. Essentially it‘s as though having a doctor’s appointment I could reschedule if necessary is a better reason to not be available for work than a religious obligation that can’t be rescheduled.

    Report Post »  
    • piecolorado
      Posted on June 11, 2012 at 5:21pm

      I think you’re missing the point on that. I think they don‘t want to know about religious or military reasons until after you’re hired. Otherwise they could be accused of religious or military discrimination if they didn’t hire you after reading about your religious or military conflicts. Once you’re hired, you can tell them about the religious or military conflicts, and then they can try to work around them. It doesn’t sound smart to me, but I think that’s why it was on the application.

      Report Post »  
  • Wildblue3
    Posted on June 11, 2012 at 4:34pm

    I personally hopes she takes them for all they are worth. That they would change policies so much to discourage military service is quite offensive to me. There used to be a time where Military Service was honored but that’s changed. It’s like the elites see us as thuggish goons. More than a little insulting.

    Report Post »  
  • 3monkeysmomma
    Posted on June 11, 2012 at 4:21pm

    I quit watching the weather channel when thet stopped showing weather and became the “all commercials and global warming channel”.

    If I want to know the weather now, I just check my smart phone.
    Frankly, I‘m amazed they’re still on the air.

    Report Post » 3monkeysmomma  

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