The CoastHills Credit Union Board fired CEO Jeff York on March 16, two weeks after they put him on administrative leave. York alleges he was fired in retaliation for complaining about a weight loss/bonus proposal from board member Kate Griffith. York had been CEO since 2004.
"It is hard to believe that any intelligent business person could think that such a proposal would be appropriate," York said in a statement. "Can you imagine if I was a woman and she was a man."
Board chair Bill Anders called York's comments "very unfortunate and unprofessional." The board "was informed by regulators of a complaint relating to alleged inappropriate management behavior at CoastHills" by York and that this led to an investigation and ultimately York's firing.
The same board eight days earlier had fired Lisa Harlow, CoastHill's former chief human resources officer, after a "organizational review," according to CoastHills.
"Based on what CoastHills is saying, it was with cause," Harlow said. "I would disagree."
Harlow also disagreed with the board's contention that York was fired due to alleged management wrongdoing. "There was no alleged inappropriate management behavior (complaint) against Mr. York until Mr. York made complaints against the board members," Harlow said.