An Indiana man maintains he was fired for refusing to keep his Pizza Hut restaurant open on Thanksgiving, claiming it was unfair to his employees.
Tony Rohr, the General Manager of the Pizza Hut in Elkhart, Ind. had been with the company for ten years and worked his way up from cook. In a meeting with his superiors, Rohr learned that this year the store would remain open on the national holiday. He was told, “It was a competitive decision and that everyone was open, so we will be too.”
The principled store manager argued that he would not comply with the new policy out of consideration for his employees. “Thanksgiving and Christmas are the only two days that they’re closed in the whole year and they’re the only two days that those people are guaranteed to have off and spend it with their families,” Rohr said. “Why can’t we be the company that stands up and says we care about our employees and they can have the day off?”
Consequently, Rohr was told to write a letter of resignation but refused. Instead, Tony put pen to paper and expressed his viewpoint to his boss. He emphatically stated, “I am not quitting. I do not resign, however I accept that the refusal to comply with this greedy, immoral request means the end of my tenure with this company.” He added in his letter, “I hope you realize that it’s the people at the bottom of the totem pole that make your life possible.”
The Director of Operations for Pizza Hut claims that Tony Rohr was not fired but that he resigned. He added that many stores and restaurants remain open on Thanksgiving. Meanwhile, Tony-who is unemployed and searching for a new job-says it’s been worth it and that he will be enjoying his Thanksgiving with his parents and his girlfriend.
Photo courtesy of: WTSB
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