Man says he was fired for refusing to work Thanksgiving (Pizza Hut)

WSBT Channel 42 - Indiana ^ | 9:49am 11/27/2013 | N. Zimmerman

[MeganC]

ELKHART - Many stores and restaurants will be open this year on Thanksgiving Day, and one local man says he lost his job because of it. Tony Rohr worked at Pizza Hut for more than ten years, but says he was fired recently because he refused to open on Thanksgiving. He says he doesn't think people should have to work on a holiday like Thanksgiving. He started at Pizza Hut as a cook and worked his way up to being a general manager of the Jackson Boulevard Pizza Hut in Elkhart.

He was told opening on Thanksgiving this year was mandatory, so at a meeting with his superiors he decided to take a stand.

"I 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?'"

Tony says it wasn't about him. It was about his employees. He told his bosses that he would not open the restaurant he managed on Thanksgiving.

[Rockpile]

Seriously what? You’re not curious to know if the stores make a profit or not tomorrow?

[GeronL]

Pizza Hut is going to have to fix this, this is some really bad PR...

do they sell a turkey and cranberry pizza?

I don’t think so

[GeronL]

3pm is usually about the time we sit down to Thanksgiving feast

[GeronL]

I don’t see how any law needs to be part of this.

Manager said no, he was fired. No laws needed.

Pizza Hut had better be prepared for the blowback though.

[GeronL]

Local pizza place... I bet they are closed tomorrow... heck they won’t even open for Mondays

[defconw]

My family was always noon, unless someone had to work.

[GeronL]

"Get your special Thanksgiving 2299 shakes today"

[pluvmantelo]

Yeah, the blowback looks to be a problem for them. This story has really taken off.

[GeronL]

I think it was FDR who tried to reschedule Thanksgiving a few weeks earlier and many people refused. People joked that there was now a Democrat Thanksgiving and a Republican Thanksgiving (traditional)

[GeronL]

I don’t think people should have to work Thanksgiving, but they also don’t have to have the job if they make this decision on their own.

[GeronL]

when healthcare is nationalized, we’ll be lucky if they are still open 9-5

[GeronL]

I think that was aimed at an earlier post.

Of course I am always curious about those things. :p

[GeronL]

we always aim for noon, usually miss it.

[defconw]

My dad’s one of those guys, that must eat noon and 6PM.

[James C. Bennett]

He says he doesn't think people should have to work on a holiday like Thanksgiving. So instead he will sit in his nice, warm house, supported by people working that day for the gas and electric utilities. He will no doubt turn on the TV, since there are people working at the station to bring him programming. He might watch a football game, played in a stadium filled with people working on Thanksgiving. If, God forbid, he chokes on a turkey bone then his family can call the 911 operator, working on the holiday, who will dispatch the paramedics, working on the holiday, to take him to the emergency room where the doctors and nurses, working on the holiday, will take care of him.

But if he wants a pizza then he's out of luck.

The best post on this thread. You obviously see the hypocrisy in the guy's actions.

[GeronL]

before and after football?

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[GreaterSwiss]

TO each thanksgiving is something else.

Restaurant workers work holidays and weekends. It goes with their job.

He wasn’t being asked to work thanksgiving. Only to offer it to his workers. He (only the GM, not the owner) refused without even offering the option to his workers.

Some of his workers who might want extra pay might of jumped on it.