Just picked up a story on Yahoo News from the AP wire about a Missouri woman who was fired from her job because she missed a week of work while having to care for her 18 month old granddaughter. The woman's daughter and son-in-law were trapped in Mew Orleans unable to get out before the hurricane hit.
more below the fold
Here is an excerpt from the story...
http://news.yahoo.com/
"By BILL DRAPER, Associated Press Writer
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - When forced to decide between caring for her 18-month-old granddaughter while her parents were stranded in New Orleans or showing up for her job, Barbara Roberts chose to be a grandma. And for that, she was fired.
Roberts, 54, had driven 200 miles from her home in Mount Vernon to Columbia on Aug. 27, the Saturday before Hurricane Katrina came ashore, to care for granddaughter Trisana for a couple of days. Her daughter, Tina Roberts, and son-in-law, Chris Hardin, were in New Orleans.
It was supposed to be a weekend business trip for the couple, and Roberts, who had used up her allotted time off in her assembly line job at Positronic Industries, had planned to be back to work on Monday. Her daughter had even arranged for another baby sitter to spend Sunday night with Trisana so Roberts could get home in time."
The story ends with these paragraphs...
"In response to questions about Roberts' termination, Positronic Industries President John Gentry said the company had made cash donations to relief efforts for Hurricane Katrina victims, but he declined to talk about Roberts. The company manufactures electrical connectors.
Hardin said his mother-in-law's firing was "absolutely unethical."
"People speak of family values, and I don't see what's a more central family value than a grandmother stepping up in this sort of situation," he said.
"I sit here trying to imagine what kind of world it would be if grandmothers didn't make that decision."
(end story)
John Gentry (as was his father before him) happens to be a big contributor to GW Bush's presidential campaigns and a go to guy for Republican candidates in his part of Missouri...
If you want to let him know what you think, here is the contact info I was able to Google...
John Gentry, President
Positronic Industries Inc.
423 N Campbell
Springfield, MO 65806
Phone: 417.866.2322
Fax: 417.866.8358
Email: jgentry@connectpositronic.com
If you write, be polite. If we turn this into politics, it won't help Barbara Roberts get her job back.