Manager fired for not opening on Thanksgiving

[PyroChamber]

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/pizza-hut-manager-says-fired-042328900.html

A former manager at an Elkhart, Ind., Pizza Hut trying to give his employees some time off says he was fired for refusing to open the store on Thanksgiving, local CBS affiliate WSBT is reporting.

Tony Rohr, who started out at the pizza chain as a cook before working his way up to general manager, confronted his superiors after being told the store would need to be open on Thanksgiving.

In years past, Rohr said, Pizza Hut stores have been closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas, according to Fox 8.

"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," he told WSBT.

His bosses told him to tender his resignation, but he wrote a scathing letter instead.

"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," Rohr wrote, according to WSBT. " ... I hope you realize that it's the people at the bottom of the totem pole that make your life possible."

The company is already seeing quite a backlash on their official Facebook page, with some commenters calling the chain "greedy" and threatening to never eat there again. The page did not respond to any of the negative comments.

One of Rohr's bosses claimed that he quit, and being open on Thanksgiving wasn't an individual's decision — it was a company decision, according to WSBT.

We've reached out to Pizza Hut for comment and will update this post if we hear back.

I say kudos to this man.

 

[Erzengel]

Well, I'd say I'd boycott Pizza Hut but I never eat there anyways.

 

[Pink Ranger]

I don't see what Pizza Hut did was wrong. They are a business, they made a business decision that they communicated across the company. Since when is Thanksgiving a moral-based holiday anyway? Typical first-world employee entitlement.

That stated, I would not eat at Pizza Hut because their food is bad, but that's besides the point.

 

[Duke]

I seldom eat at Pizza Hut now & would just maybe eat a local pizzeria instead.

 

[Breogan]

...some commenters calling the chain "greedy"

LOL a chain greedy ......were people just born?
The guy works for a frikin chain, and wants to set his own hrs? Boo frikin hoo he had to work so the company made money instead of losing money. They're so mean! Yeah that's how they work.
So quit and start your own "closed" on thanksgiving bgilion dollar making pizza business.
Oh wait most Pizzerias have to work and stay open that day, just to break even.

 

[Erzengel]

I don't see what Pizza Hut did was wrong. They are a business, they made a business decision that they communicated across the company. Since when is Thanksgiving a moral-based holiday anyway? Typical first-world employee entitlement.

That stated, I would not eat at Pizza Hut because their food is bad, but that's besides the point.

I understand that it's a company decision. I just feel bad for the employees. Imagine given 10 holidays a year, and your company taking away 2. Especially if it's something you were use to. I remember when stores weren't open on Thanksgiving now they open at 6 pm.

But I'm from the Northeast. We have real pizza places.

 

[Duke]

I wonder how'd Pink Ranger feel if he had to work on Loyalist Day?

 

[Pink Ranger]

I wonder how'd Pink Ranger feel if he had to work on Loyalist Day?

How dare you, sir! I would don my traditional tights and powdered wig, and show up to work saying "ready aye ready!".

 

[O_B_Juan]

This kind of stuff never happens on Canadian Thanksgiving.

 

[jonathancrane]

The chains are allowed to do what they want - like the retailers having Black Friday on Thanksgiving, instead of Friday-but, that does not make any less than a conglomerate of ********s.

 

[Pink Ranger]

This kind of stuff never happens on Canadian Thanksgiving.

Well, there's simply no time for pizza, what with the traditional dance of the coiled notebooks, the ritual sacrifice of oranges to appease the dark god and the singing of classic Parachute Club carols.

 

[Spider-Aziz]

A-holes
*Saying that munching Papa John's pizza, cause it's good*

Cut out the salary for the day, put a 1 day replacement, something beneficial to both ends of the deal, not to sign up resignation

 

[Erzengel]

Some places give time and a half or bonuses for working holidays.

 

[Joshua_B]

Legal or not, I think this is a horrible thing to do to people...not just for Thanksgiving, but any mass-celebrated holiday.

 

[Matt]

LOL a chain greedy ......were people just born?
The guy works for a frikin chain, and wants to set his own hrs? Boo frikin hoo he had to work so the company made money instead of losing money. They're so mean! Yeah that's how they work.
So quit and start your own "closed" on thanksgiving bgilion dollar making pizza business.
Oh wait most Pizzerias have to work and stay open that day, just to break even.

Beauty of capitalism: The chain is absolutely free to do whatever it wants.

Beauty of free speech and media: This man is free to speak out and the media is free to report it to inform the consumer.

Beauty of capitalism 2.0: The consumer is free to boycott the chain and let them take a hit in their pocketbook for this jackassery.

 

[Figs]

I don't see what Pizza Hut did was wrong. They are a business, they made a business decision that they communicated across the company. Since when is Thanksgiving a moral-based holiday anyway? Typical first-world employee entitlement.

Bull...****ing...****...

It doesn't matter if it's a "moral-based" holiday or not. All that matters is that it's still a holiday. Of course they made a business decision and they have a right to do so, but this in fact is another example of corporate greed and a lack of giving a **** about their employees since we're all replacable ants to them. What the manager wrote was true, that it's us "lowly" employees that make their lives possible and are the main reason for that money they receive hand over fist. This isn't employee entitlement. Do you live or even work in the USA? EDIT: Just noticed you're from Canada. The power and greed the corporations have here thanks to our government letting them get away with just about anything they want is ridiculous. We're getting closer and closer to slave labor and no I'm not exagerrating or joking when I type this.

There's a truthful saying you might have heard. "Work to live, don't live to work." Too many corporate companies are starting to slowly treat their employees worse and worse and it's not going to stop.

Yes, you don't have to work at a place that doesn't close during holidays, but with the job market/economy the way it is, people don't have a lot of options. Let's not forget that Pizza Hut has always been closed on Thanksgiving so this was a **** surprise for their employees that they would randomely screw them over like this.

 

[Spider-Aziz]

Some places give time and a half or bonuses for working holidays.

That makes it worse, if it was just him taking a day off

Is what he said true about shop closing in that area during those holidays? Did they notify him about the change in the policy this year?

 

[NHawk19]

Have to admit I side with the Manager on this one.

It's not much of an option when they say open or don't work here. . . Chains like this are starting to infringe upon employees personal lives entirely to much. I only wish more employees would stand up to the Corporations and tell them no if they want to spend time with family. The reality is the time the employees are being forced to sacrifice to keep their jobs is worth much more than the free turkey in the break room for working.

I don't like Pizza Hut so a boycott wouldnt do much anyway but I do boycott all the Thursday sales stuff.

 

[Pink Ranger]

Some places give time and a half or bonuses for working holidays.

In my experience, employers who offer shifts like this to staff, or ask who wants to work on the holiday even at a regular rate, often have to turn people away who want to work on the holiday.

Some people like the money, some people don't have families to spend time with, some people don't want to spend time with the families they have. The manager foolishly sabotaged his own career over this.

 

[DJ_KiDDvIcIOUs]

How much money are they expecting to make that day anyway? Who the heck wants crappy, greasy pizza hut garbage on Thanksgiving in the first place? I highly doubt they are going to sell enough to justify paying all the employees and over head. Just a stupid decision on their part

 

[C. Lee]

For about 20 years of my former job....I worked all holidays....you do what you have to do to pay the bills.

 

[O_B_Juan]

How much money are they expecting to make that day anyway? Who the heck wants crappy, greasy pizza hut garbage on Thanksgiving in the first place? I highly doubt they are going to sell enough to justify paying all the employees and over head. Just a stupid decision on their part

Somewhere, someplace, somebody's turkey won't be cooked right and they will order pizza or chinese food.

 

[Breogan]

Who the heck wants crappy, greasy pizza hut garbage on Thanksgiving in the first place?

Maybe people who could give a crap about that holiday or cooking a huge meal to celebrate the genocide of a people.
Also not everyone has a family to go to for home cooking.
Others who'd feel lucky for the opportunity to work on that day.
Or people who might just never have tried it and "want crappy, greasy pizza hut garbage." for the sake of trying crappy, greasy pizza hut garbage.

 

[Pink Ranger]

For about 20 years of my former job....I worked all holidays....you do what you have to do to pay the bills.

I work in Canada for an American company, so I don't get to take some Canadian holidays (like Thanksgiving) because they interfere with project deadlines, and as a Canadian I don't get American holidays off either.

So the only holidays I get are the ones celebrated by both countries at the same time (Christmas, Easter, New Years). That's just life.

 

[C. Lee]

I work in Canada for an American company, so I don't get to take some Canadian holidays (like Thanksgiving) because they interfere with project deadlines, and as a Canadian I don't get American holidays off either.

So the only holidays I get are the ones celebrated by both countries at the same time (Christmas, Easter, New Years). That's just life.

I worked at a municipal water treatment plant (that means I made the water safe to drink that comes out of your kitchen sink)...they run 365 days a year...depending on conditions they can run 24 hours a day....holidays were just overtime pay to me. Would I have liked to be off from work that day, sure....but for most of my time there it just wasn't possible. We were always short handed....one time I worked 7 days a week for 4 and a half months straight because we had no one else to take over a shift....one winter in the middle of a giant snow/ice storm I worked the water plant for 3 days straight as the only person there, no one else could make it in.

My situation, as providing a public necessity, was different from running a restaurant that is probably one of many in a city. It's nice to be able to get time off for a holiday....but I can't see losing your job over refusing to work.