lot. As the story goes he was taking his break in his car when he heard a woman screaming. He thought it might be people horsing around but he investigated anyway and when he tried to pull the attacker off the woman other assailants attacked him from behind and and he defended himself and the woman. For his efforts he was fired for violation of company policy.Kristopher Oswald said he was trying to do the right thing and the last thing he thought would happen is that he would be fired.
What is totally disgusting is Walmart is more concerned about the rights and welfare of thugs and attackers than their shoppers and employees, if this was not the case he would have been named employee of the month, promoted or given a bonus however this sends a clear message to the dregs of society that Walmart is a place ripe for picking. It also illustrates how sick, twisted and perverted our society has become, this would not have happened 50 years ago but we are so much better now, so more enlightened so more caring, nothing is anybody's fault anymore the law-breakers are the real victims and if we try and prevent their evil deeds we are trying to shove our moral values onto them.
Kristopher says he doesn't know what to put on an employee application now, how will he explain the reason behind his firing. Well if I could give him advice I would say use it to your advantage, you now have press coverage and there are employers who are eager to find someone like you who has a backbone and courage, you might just discover this is the best boost you could get in your job search.
Similar thing happened at Walgreen's a couple of years ago. An overnight pharmacist pulled his carry piece and USED it to defend himself and his customers and was terminated for it due to their "no weapons" policy.... the very same policy the thugs chose to ignore.
ReplyDeleteMost companies are this way, but how stupid can you get?
Matt, it is stupid but I would rather be fired and live to tell about it.
DeleteIn this case the guy wasn't even armed he was just a Good Samaritan trying to help. Who would have guessed it would violate store policy. I would also assume if someone slipped and fell you could not assist either because you could cause further injury ? makes no sense to me.
Good advice - and Wal-Mart sucks.
ReplyDeleteRev Paul Thanks.
DeleteWalmart is concerned that it will cost them a dime. A few weeks ago, I was rammed by a 12-year-old who was pushing his 10 year old brother in a cart while his mother shopped a few yards away. Their horseplay injured me.
ReplyDeleteWalmart employees said there was nothing they could do to make the kid get out of the cart. The CSM talked to a manager and told me there could be no incident report filed by me because it was between me and the child. ??? I told her I was in WM electric cart, in the walmart store, hit by a Walmart cart, by Walmart shoppers pushing a Walmart cart. I did file an incident report. Incident reports count against the store.
The next morning I could not move my neck. That was two weeks ago, and my neck still bothers me.
Walmart does not care for the rights of thugs. WM cares about themselves and the bottom dollar. The result is that the thugs can do anything they want. The thugs AR empowered. Sad.
PP, it's all about the liability, they want to limit theirs. Thanks.
DeleteDuke,
ReplyDeleteIt's a terrible story, and Wal-Marts policy. My son last year was attacked at work because he defended himself, he was fired. Company policy, no fighting on the job, it didn't matter that he was defending himself.
Sandy, It's a messed up system. I understand they don't want law suits but for once I wish they would go to court if it arose and fight for justice and send a message to thugs they would not be tolerated.
DeleteNo good deed goes unpunished, right? Sad he got fired, though.
ReplyDeleteHermit Jim, it sure seems to work that way. Thanks.
DeleteI saw that on the news. All I can say is that the man did the right thing no matter what some anal orifice in the corporate HQ says.
ReplyDeleteHarry, Amen.
DeleteHad a guy I worked with a few years ago who was attacked by this rather unhinged crazy co-worker. At work. One of the supervisors told the guy to fill a rack and the unhinged dude didn't like it and literally attacked my co-worker with a box knife. Got a good cut o his arm then the guy whooped his A$$ in about three swings.
ReplyDeleteThe company fired them both even though there were witnesses. Everyone was like WTF?
You can't even defend yourself anymore.
I'm not a bug fan of law suits but in a case like that I think I would sue for my job or severance pay or something. Seems like regardless of their policy self defense is a basic human right they can't take from you.
DeleteBottom line, I think it's all about lawsuits against the companies... Screw the people, as long as the 'company' has deniability, the lawyers are okay with it...
ReplyDeleteOld NFO, that about sums it up.
DeleteKarma, the guy will get a better job.
ReplyDeleteK, I have no doubt he will, he exhibits good character.
DeleteI saw on the news last night that there has been such a hue and cry over this Walmart backed off and said that even though the man "broke a policy" they would condescend to let him have his job back. However, the news story said they have been leaving messages on his phone but he has not returned their calls. Can't say as I blame him.
ReplyDeleteHarry, no doubt he will have far better job offers after the publicity.
ReplyDeleteAbout 1 1/2 years ago, my daughter was 2, and as we were walking in Walmart, she turned her head away from the direction in which she was walking, and managed to walk right into the corner of one of those things that holds the prices on the shelves. The problem was, the plastic sheath wasn't on this particular one, and so she ended up with a big gash on her forehead that swelled up and bled a LOT. I passed at least 6 employees at the store after she did this (and while she was screaming at the top of her lungs) and not one of them did anything in the least to ask if I needed help. I finally ended up in the snack bar and asked the guy there for a cup of ice, which he gave me, but in that small gesture, he was much more helpful than anybody actually working for the store. Yeah, I understand liability, but when it gets in the way of being a sympathetic person, that's the limit, and to this day, I haven't been back to that location (Niles, IL, on Touhy Ave.)
ReplyDeleteThe crazy thing is that when my daughter was a small baby, the employees there had no problem grabbing my cart and moving it - with the baby in the basket in her car seat - even though I was standing right there rather than ask me if I could move it or just wait the minute or so it would be before I would be moving on to something else.
Katja
Katja, It is a sad commentary no doubt. I thought 'good Samaritan' laws were supposed to allow people to assist in cases like this without fear of being sued. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteDamm lawyers, Walmart and other companies are afraid of getting sued by somebody looking for a "ghetto-lottery" judgment.
ReplyDeleteMrGarabaldi, that's the bottom line. Time to change some laws.
Delete