Man Fired For Taking Off To Be With Dying Wife
Company Offers Job Back After Initially Defending Firing
POSTED: Thursday, March 2, 2006
WINDBER, Pa. -- A company that fired a 13-year employee as his wife lay dying of brain cancer has offered the Pennsylvania man his job back.Rug Doctor said the company has offered back pay and no break in seniority to former sales representative Bernard Chippie. But it's unclear if he will take the carpet-cleaning company up on its offer."I don't think the offer is one of compassion. They’re afraid of what I might do (a lawsuit)," he told The Tribune-Democrat.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.Rug Doctor said earlier this week that it went out of its way to accommodate Chippie.The company said Chippie used all his vacation, sick days and unpaid leave well before Feb. 13.But Chippie said he had 160 hours of accrued vacation from never taking a full week in 13 years.Now, he's wary of their job offer. But he also said he fears he could lose unemployment benefits if he doesn't take the job back.
Distributed by Internet Broadcasting Systems, Inc. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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