Dodge City ? A former Dodge City employee has sued the city, claiming he was fired for trying to unionize his co-workers.

Fifty-three-year-old Mike Kerns is seeking more than $75,000 in damages.

The Dodge City Daily Globe reported Thursday that Kerns worked for the city for six years, most recently at the Civic Center. He and other city employees began discussing unionizing two years ago.

Kerns says he and several other employees who were active in the union effort were fired or forced to resign on Nov. 5, 2009. He claims the firing violated state laws barring retaliation against employees, and violated his Constitutional rights.

Brad Ralph, the city’s legal adviser, says Kerns was fired for violating city policies, not for his union work.