Subway fires worker forced by manager to serve food while vomiting from stomach virus

[geardaddy]

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/07/17/subway-fires-worker-forced-by-manager-to-serve-food-while-vomiting-from-stomach-virus/
A Subway employee in Freeport, Texas claims she was fired after she became so ill that sympathetic workers at a nearby restaurant called 911 to care for her.

Elizabeth Taft (pictured above) told Local 2 Houston that when she reported to work sick with a stomach virus last week, her manager refused to allow her to leave.

“I was going back and forth to the bathroom, puking my guts out,” Taft said. “I was sweating, I was drenched in sweat. I felt week.” But her manager just ordered her to resume working on the line.


“So until about 1 o’clock, I was on the line making sandwiches and [her manager] knew I was sick,” she said. “I was touching everybody’s sandwiches. I’m like ‘this ain’t right.’ I had gloves on, but that doesn’t matter.”

She eventually became so feverish that she stumbled outside, where an employee from a nearby restaurant came to her aid.

He took pictures of her and posted them to Facebook with the caption, “if you planned on eating Freeport Subway today I advise not to, I witnessed an employee vomiting and her manager just telling her to switch shirts.”

Subway’s social media team replied to that post, writing “this certainly should not have happened. We take this very seriously.”

But the manager of the Subway that employed Taft fired her anyway, claiming that it was not her illness that particular day, but a history of “poor performance” and “insubordination.”
Video at link.

[KittyWampus]

1. okay, this one stuns me. There has to be some violation this manager needs to be arrested

Knowingly putting public health at risk like that.

Damn.

But then this is Texas.

[Submariner]

2. Went to the local Subway a couple of days ago

during the lunch time rush, and was surprised to see only 2 employees overwhelmed by the big line of customers. I've seen this a few times at this shop. Obviously Subway runs on a skeleton crews to maximize profits, but it really irritates the line of 15 people waiting, waiting and waiting just for a sammich.

[geardaddy]

4. It's all about increasing the franchisee's profit

Labor costs at minimum wage are so exorbitant, you know!

[Ilsa]

3. Patrons of this Subway need to bombard the home office

About the manager requiring sick employees to work on their food, as well as firing this employee. This is another way nasty viruses become a public health crisis.

The reporter picked the wrong word (homophone?) to quote the employee: it's "weak", not "week".

[Brigid]

8. Copy editing is a dying art.

[oldandhappy]

5. Dumb!

Manager was dumb, but employee was dumb, also. Dumb! Someone will tell me employee had to work or not have money. Tis true. AND ethics of both were not engaged. If you are sick, do not serve food. I'm sticking to my point of view.

Dear Subway, please have a workshop/training on common sense.

[BrotherIvan]

10. She was probably threatened with being fired!

I've had bosses who did the same. I was working with the public (not food) and had the flu and my boss demanded I come into work anyway. I was chugging TheraFlu from a water bottle while coming in direct contact with customers and their cards & cash. I could not have afforded to lose my job at the time just because I was sick.

The shop and the manager should be fined for public health and by the labor board if possible. Why on earth would you blame the employee who was obviously being abused by her manager?

[SomethingFishy]

11. Do you work for someone else? Have you been in the work force lately?

Management in almost every job consists of "the beatings will continue until moral improves". to blame this on the employee seems to show a lack of understanding...

I went to my boss once, there was a moral problem on my job and I was kind of elected to talk to the boss about it, because I am really good at my job and stood almost no chance of getting fired for complaining.
We had a great chat. I came out of his office feeling really good. The next day 3 of my friends were fired, and I was told that if I ever deemed myself high up enough to talk to the boss again about anything, nothing on the planet could save my job.

Been 8 years since that "talk" and I haven't even seen a cost of living raise.

Thats what it's like to work in the real world.

[tabbycat31]

12. I've had to serve food while sick

In high school, I worked concession at a movie theater (only on weekends). Come Friday night, I was scheduled to work and I hadn't been in school since Tuesday. At that point, I hadn't gone to the doctor, so I didn't have a note or anything. I even told them to confirm my absence in school with one of the ushers (who was in my Spanish class).

I came in and lasted about 1/2 hour. I wound up having pneumonia and missing over a month of school.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

6. She should have skipped the trips to the bathroom....

And just puked her guts out right on the food. Let the manager decide if she should be working that shift then...

[MineralMan]

7. Actually, it was a franchise owner who fired the worker.

Subway should pull the franchise from such an owner. The last thing Subway needs is a story about a sick employee serving food. I suspect this franchise owner is about to get the boom lowered on him. Like all fast food chains, negative stories about health issues are their worst nightmare.

Just pull the franchise for reputation damaging action. I'm sure there's a clause in the contract regarding that.

[Orrex]

9. I call bullshit

Usually it's the customers who throw up at Subway...