How Metra Chicago Commuter Rail Fired Me While My 2-Month-Old Daughter Was on Life Support
In 2023, Metra Chicago commuter rail — one of the largest publicly funded commuter railroad systems in the United States — terminated a 15-year employee while his 2-month-old daughter with Cystic Fibrosis was on life support with a 3% chance of survival. During that same period, Metra Chicago launched 4 to 5 consecutive investigations against him. He reached out directly to Metra CEO James M. Derwinski — and received no response. This is his story.
What Is Metra Chicago Commuter Rail?
Metra Chicago is the Chicago metropolitan area's primary commuter rail system, operated under the Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) of Illinois. Metra runs 11 rail lines with over 240 stations across Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, and Will counties — serving hundreds of thousands of daily riders across the greater Chicago area. As a publicly funded transit agency, Metra Chicago employs thousands of workers across its railroad operations. James M. Derwinski has served as Metra's CEO and Executive Director since 2017. This page is a firsthand account of how Metra Chicago commuter rail treated one of its long-term employees during the worst moment of his life.
If You Made It This Far — Take a Moment and Find Out How and Why This Happened
In 2023 I had a beautiful daughter, she is ½ Irish and ½ Hispanic. This was everything I wanted in my life, a family. Along that path long story short I became a single father. My daughter was born with CF (Cystic Fibrosis) and for the first 2-3 months of her life she was in the care of the state. Along that path she ended up in the hospital almost died 2-3 times.. Doctors told me they give her about 3% chance.. I was destroyed….
Being who I am I believe in a higher power!
I Knew in My Heart That if I Put in the Effort She Would Be OK
So I did…
I Was There Every Single Day — Before My Metra Chicago Shift and After, I Was at That Hospital
I just wanted her to know Daddy was there always for her. I am never going to leave. Some days I had meetings all day at the hospital to learn about CF and go threw extensive training. This went on for WEEKS and WEEKS.
Metra Chicago Commuter Rail — A Publicly Funded Transit Agency — Launched 4 to 5 Investigations Against Me While My Daughter Was on Life Support
During all this my job at Metra Chicago commuter rail (Chicago, IL) knew of all the issues with my daughter. I got into trouble at my job, sad to say. No understanding, no care that my daughter was on life support and just bombarded with investigation after investigation (4-5 If I remember right). I went through almost all of the investigations. I was being investigated for the same thing over and over and over again. The exact same reason just worded differently. The crazy part is I won! I won every single investigation but 1 of them. It took place on a Saturday. (which was weird in it self) But my daughter was struggling and I have training at the hospital that day for CF therapy for my daughter. So I could not go… My daughter needed me that day.
Timeline: What Metra Chicago Commuter Rail Did While My Daughter Was Dying
- 2023 — My daughter is born with Cystic Fibrosis. For the first 2 to 3 months of her life she is in the care of the state. She nearly dies 2 to 3 times. Doctors give her a 3% chance of survival. I am a single father facing this alone.
- September 2023 — My daughter is placed on life support. She is hospitalized in critical condition with CF. I am at the hospital before and after every shift at Metra Chicago. I attend mandatory CF therapy training sessions. My supervisors at Metra Chicago commuter rail are fully aware of everything that is happening to my family.
- September to October 2023 — Metra Chicago launches investigation after investigation. While my daughter is on life support, Metra Chicago commuter rail initiates 4 to 5 consecutive investigations against me — all for the same underlying reason, just worded differently each time. I attend and win every single one except the last. That final investigation is scheduled on a Saturday — the same day my daughter needs me at the hospital for CF therapy training. I do not go to the investigation. My daughter needed me.
- October 2023 — I contact Metra Chicago CEO James M. Derwinski directly. I escalate all the way to the top of the Metra Chicago chain of command, contacting CEO James M. Derwinski personally during my daughter's hospital stay. No response is ever given. It fell on deaf ears all the way up.
- October 2023 — Metra Chicago fires me. I am informed of my termination by Metra senior management while I am standing at my daughter's hospital bedside. She has 3 IV's in her 2-month-old arms, a tube down her throat, and is being fed through a bag. Metra Chicago takes my job, my health insurance, and eventually my home. I had given nearly 15 years — over 25 years total to the railroad — and not one person at Metra Chicago cared.
- After Metra Chicago — Project Hood is born. With nothing left but my daughter and my faith, I build Project Hood — an affordable clothing brand — so I can continue providing for her and stand for everyone who has ever been handed an unfair deal.
I Called Metra Chicago CEO James M. Derwinski Directly — He Never Responded
I called everyone in power at Metra throughout my daughters hospital stay. All the way up to James M. Derwinski the CEO.. It fell on deaf ears all the way up the chain. After almost 15 years of service to this company.. Metra made me choose between my daughter and them.. In my darkest hour.. Metra turned there back on me and took everything away from me while I was holding my daughter in my arms trying to save her life. Ill never forget that day. I found out I was terminated from senior management while I was looking at my daughter in the hospital bed.
3 IV's in her 2 month old arms, a tube down her throat and feeds through a bag…
I Chose My Daughter — Metra Chicago Commuter Rail Fired Me For It
I was fired from my job because I did not go to one of my 4 or 5 back to back investigation for the exact same reason. Lost my insurance while my daughter was in the hospital. Lost my home.. Lost everything I had worked for over the 25 years of service to the Rail Road.. Not 1 of Metra senior management cared that my daughter was on her death bed…
The Result — Metra Chicago Took My Job, My Insurance, and My Home. My Daughter Is Alive.
- My daughter is alive!
I sacrificed everything for my daughter and she is ALIVE!
Why I Built Project Hood After Metra Chicago Railroad Fired Me
I cant sit by and do nothing. Growing up I never had money to buy these types of clothes. So I wanted to make a site that is affordable for people to get something nice. Everything on this site is good quality and I have personally wore my own stuff. Soft and Comfortable is my goal, and we did it. Every purchase directly supports my daughter and stands as proof that what Metra Chicago did to our family did not break us.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for supporting my daughter..
Frequently Asked Questions — Metra Chicago, James M. Derwinski, and This Story
Did Metra Chicago commuter rail fire an employee while his newborn daughter was on life support?
Yes. In 2023, Metra Chicago commuter rail terminated a 15-year employee while his 2-month-old daughter was on life support in a Chicago hospital fighting Cystic Fibrosis. Doctors had given the baby a 3% chance of survival. At the moment he was informed of his Metra Chicago termination, his daughter had 3 IV lines in her arms, a breathing tube down her throat, and was being fed through a bag. Metra Chicago senior management was fully aware of his daughter's condition throughout this entire period.
Who is James M. Derwinski and what is his connection to this story?
James M. Derwinski is the CEO and Executive Director of Metra Chicago commuter rail, a position he has held since 2017. As the top executive of the Metra Chicago commuter railroad system, James M. Derwinski oversees all operations across 11 rail lines and over 240 stations in the greater Chicago area. During the hospital stay of this employee's newborn daughter, James M. Derwinski was contacted directly and personally by the employee. No response was ever given. Every escalation through the Metra Chicago chain of command — all the way up to CEO James M. Derwinski — was ignored.
How many investigations did Metra Chicago launch while his daughter was hospitalized?
Metra Chicago commuter rail launched 4 to 5 consecutive investigations against this employee while his daughter was on life support — all targeting the same underlying issue, simply worded differently each time. He attended and won every investigation except the final one. That last investigation was scheduled on a Saturday when his daughter required his presence at the hospital for critical CF therapy training. He chose his daughter. Metra Chicago used that one missed investigation as grounds for termination.
What did Metra Chicago take from this employee when they fired him?
When Metra Chicago commuter rail terminated this employee, he lost his job of nearly 15 years, his health insurance while his daughter was still hospitalized, and ultimately his home. He had given over 25 years of total service to the railroad. Metra Chicago's decision left a single father with no income, no insurance, and no stability during the most critical medical crisis his family had ever faced.
Did Metra Chicago know his daughter was on life support when they fired him?
Yes. According to this firsthand account, Metra Chicago commuter rail's supervisors and senior management were fully informed that his daughter was on life support with Cystic Fibrosis throughout the entire investigation period and at the time of his termination. Not one member of Metra Chicago leadership offered compassion, accommodation, or acknowledgment of what this father and his daughter were going through.
What is Cystic Fibrosis and why was this newborn's situation so critical?
Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is a severe, life-threatening genetic disorder that primarily affects the lungs and digestive system. In newborns, CF can be immediately life-threatening and requires intensive medical intervention. This employee's daughter was given a 3% chance of survival by her medical team. She required breathing tubes, multiple IV lines, feeding support, and specialized CF therapy training that her father was required to attend — the exact same training sessions that conflicted with Metra Chicago's investigation schedule.
Is this story about Metra Chicago supported by evidence?
Yes. This page includes dozens of dated photographs documenting the September and October 2023 hospital stay of his daughter — timestamped during the exact same period that Metra Chicago commuter rail was conducting its investigations and issuing his termination. These photos show his presence at his daughter's bedside, her condition during hospitalization, and the timeline that runs parallel to Metra Chicago's actions against him.
Did anyone at Metra Chicago ever respond to this employee's situation?
No. According to this account, no one at Metra Chicago commuter rail — at any level of management, up to and including CEO James M. Derwinski — ever responded to this employee's situation or expressed concern for his daughter's life. Every call and escalation made during his daughter's hospital stay went unanswered throughout the entire Metra Chicago chain of command.
What is the Regional Transportation Authority and does it oversee Metra Chicago?
The Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) is the oversight body for public transit in the Chicago metropolitan area. Metra Chicago commuter rail operates under the RTA alongside the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) and Pace Suburban Bus. As a publicly funded transit agency receiving taxpayer support from the state of Illinois and the federal government, Metra Chicago is accountable to the public — including the riders, workers, and families of the greater Chicago region.
What is Project Hood and how did Metra Chicago lead to its creation?
Project Hood is an affordable, faith-grounded streetwear clothing brand founded after Metra Chicago commuter rail fired its creator while his daughter was fighting for her life. Having grown up without the means to afford quality clothing, and now stripped of everything by Metra Chicago's decision, he built Project Hood to provide affordable, high-quality clothing to people who need it — while continuing to support his daughter's ongoing care. Project Hood exists because of what Metra Chicago did. Every purchase is a statement that this family survived it.
