Business of Life

Disgraceful firing

Bernard Chippie was fired because took time off to be with his wife who was dying from brain cancer.

Earlier, Chippie said he notified his employer on Feb. 13 that he would not be able to finish his weekly route because he had just learned his wife had between two days and a week to live. He went to Kathleen Chippie's bedside at a hospice that day.

"There was never a question of where I needed to be," Chippie said.

He said that three days later, his boss demanded that he show up at work the next day. He said he was fired when he said he couldn't.

Three days after that, Kathleen Chippie died at the age of 56.

In 13 years, he had never taken a full week of vacation from the Rug Doctor.

The company's behavior is disgraceful.

While the company did an about-face and offered him his job back, it was probably to avoid a law suit.