Thursday, July 03, 2014

A $1.39 bag of chips cost Walgreen $180,000

The AP reports:
Walgreen Co. agreed to pay $180,000 to a diabetic employee who was fired after eating a $1.39 bag of chips before paying for it during what she said was an attack of low blood sugar, federal officials said.

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which announced the settlement with Walgreen yesterday, filed a discrimination suit against the company three years ago, alleging Walgreen knew about Josefina Hernandez's medical condition but still fired her from her job as a cashier at a South San Francisco Walgreens in 2008 in violation of federal disability laws.

"Not only was this harsh and unfair, but it was illegal," EEOC San Francisco Regional Attorney William Tamayo said in a statement.

According to the suit, the 18-year Walgreens employee paid for the bag of chips the same day she ate them and had no prior disciplinary record. Walgreen denied any connection between her actions and her illness, and fired her for violating a company policy against eating food products before paying for them, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
The great moments of regulated America!