Tennessee conductor fired after telling July 4 passengers America is greatest country, critics should 'leave'

A Tennessee transit agency apologized and fired a part-time railway conductor after video spread online showing him celebrating Independence Day by calling the United States "the greatest country on the face of the planet" and telling anyone who disagreed they could leave.

Local ABC affiliate WTVC NewsChannel 9 reported Monday that the part-time conductor was fired after a TikTok video posted by Nathan Scherer captured him saying, "To the very, very few Americans in here, happy Independence Day. To the rest of you, welcome to the greatest country on the face of the planet, and if you disagree, you can leave."

In the video, a person can be heard responding, "Shut up." The part-time conductor was identified as Jack Peterson.

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The Incline Railway, which first opened in 1887, is owned and operated by the Chattanooga Area Regional Transportation Authority (CARTA) and is a part of Lookout Mountain Attractions, was given the video and News 9 reported that a director at the Incline Railway "met with the employee that day and immediately fired him."

In a statement shared by News 9, the company confirmed Peterson's dismissal.

Scott Wilson, CARTA's chief of staff, was quoted as saying, "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."

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Wilson added, "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 statement to Fox News Digital, Wilson said, "The role of the conductor on Chattanooga's iconic Incline Railway is to welcome visitors from around the world to our Scenic City, seat them safely, and play an audio recording about the railway's history. Instead of following protocol — and common decency — this new, seasonal employee used the microphone to make assumptions about the citizenship status of our visitors and their disposition toward our great country. 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. But rudeness toward our guests is the exact opposite of the conductor's role, and he was dismissed with cause the same day. We deeply apologize for this incident, especially because it departs so profoundly from the welcoming character of Chattanoogans."

Wilson continued, "This incident happened during a holiday weekend while CARTA’s CEO was traveling to celebrate Independence Day with family. Upon his return, our CEO, who is committed to workforce development and investing in employees, has reached out to Mr. Peterson and will meet with him to have an open dialogue about the impact and intention of his words, and to determine if there is a path forward for reemployment in some capacity. The story of America is one of continued improvement, and we are hopeful we can demonstrate that with this employee in this unfortunate situation."

He added that Peterson "was dismissed under Section 14 of CARTA's Code of Conduct — 'conduct unbecoming a CARTA employee' — along with the standards in Section 5 of our Employee Handbook, 'Public Contacts by Employees,' which requires that all operators be pleasant and courteous in speech and manner and states plainly that discourteous treatment of others will not be tolerated and may result in discharge."

"A conductor's duties are to safely seat every passenger, deliver the safety and welcome announcements, and then play the pre-recorded script that tells the history of the Incline Railway," Wilson said. "The announcement system exists for safety and hospitality; it’s not an opportunity to share personal views."

Wilson said the decision to terminate Peterson was based on his conduct toward passengers on Saturday, that CARTA received complaints from riders, as well as a video from a customer Friday afternoon, and that Peterson's "remarks were inconsistent with both the organization’s values and customer service standards."

"People travel from every state and around the world to ride North America's steepest funicular," Wilson said. "Welcoming every guest warmly isn't a political statement — it's Southern hospitality and also a good business principle, and in Chattanooga those have always been the same thing."

In a statement to Fox News Digital, Peterson said, "I think that CARTA as a company has a lot of thinking to do when it comes to supporting this country. I do not believe my firing was a correct or just one. My personal thought is, what has this country come to when someone can get fired on Independence Day for a patriotic statement."

Peterson said he started a GoFundMe due to the support he has received since the incident went viral.

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Fox News Digital reached out to Scherer, who posted the TikTok, for comment.