On Nov. 2, after recycling $3.75 worth of bottles from home through the store's recycling machine, his mother said he tried to redeem 20 cents worth of credit slips dated in September that may have been left by customers.

WTF, I don't even consider that "stealing"... it isn't like he took two dimes out of the register.... isn't this the equivalent of picking up a lottery ticket someone left on the ground that happened to be a winner?

Dowie, who is mentally disabled, worked for 25 years at the Hy-Vee supermarket in Urbandale

25 friggin' years. And American businesses wonder why workers aren't loyal anymore.

When I want something
I don't want to pay for it
It's as simple as that

/*dogs barking*

Without knowing all the facts, I'd say the manager who fired the guy sounds like the real mental midget. I suspect he/she has an issue with the mentally handicapped.

I guess the price of bad publicity is only 20 cents, right Hy-Vee?

damageddude: Without knowing all the facts, I'd say the manager who fired the guy sounds like the real mental midget. I suspect he/she has an issue with the mentally handicapped.

My guess would be he was looking for an excuse to fire the guy.

He'd have to be retarded to return.

Tuesday with the same pay and benefits, $13 an hour, full-time at 35 hours a week and five weeks of vacation,


Damn.
For Iowa that is damned good salary for pushing buggies around in the parking lot and putting shiat into a bag.

Bunnyhat: Tuesday with the same pay and benefits, $13 an hour, full-time at 35 hours a week and five weeks of vacation,


Damn.
For Iowa that is damned good salary for pushing buggies around in the parking lot and putting shiat into a bag.

Yeah but thats after 25 years of service to one company. Not like he got hired at that.

Am I the only one who read the article to see if they hired him back at the same pay?

Gwendolyn: Not like he got hired at that.

Which might go to the "trying to find a reason to fire the guy"... not that even the guy wasn't doing a great job, but, if you can replace him with an $8.50/hour guy who will basically do the same thing... they'll do it every time when they can.

TFA "We probably employ more people with disabilities than anyone in the state,"

That's nice backhanded way of calling the manager who fired him a retard. (make sure you say that in a Zach Galifianakis voice)

Gwendolyn: Bunnyhat: Tuesday with the same pay and benefits, $13 an hour, full-time at 35 hours a week and five weeks of vacation,


Damn.
For Iowa that is damned good salary for pushing buggies around in the parking lot and putting shiat into a bag.

Yeah but thats after 25 years of service to one company. Not like he got hired at that.

And that's probably why the employer found a reason to get rid of the guy.

That salary is almost enough to cover two high school punks at minimum wage, with no benefits.

Retarded people are more loyal than a Black Lab or Golden Retriever.

thismomentinblackhistory: Retarded people are more loyal than a Black Lab or Golden Retriever.

And almost as smart.

PhiloeBedoe: thismomentinblackhistory: Retarded people are more loyal than a Black Lab or Golden Retriever.

And almost as smart.

Damn it, now I want to see someone remake Lassie with a retarded man in the role instead of a Collie.

In the complaint filed this week with the Iowa Civil Rights Commission, Dowie's statement said, "I am mentally retarded, but Hy-Vee did not take that into account when ending my employment over twenty cents."

I'd believe him more if his statement read, "I did what? What is a 'employment'?"

A spokesman for Hy-Vee, Ruth Comer, said the company offered to reinstate the employee on Tuesday with the same pay and benefits, $13 an hour, full-time at 35 hours a week and five weeks of vacation, according to Johnson

Holy hell, I'm in the wrong state/field/mental capacity

Wow, sometimes the headline makes me laugh so much that I forget to click on the actual story. Nice one subby...

And wow, 5 weeks of vacation? Pretty nice, but he could turn this into a win and probably get a another grocery chain to hire him at the same wages and with the same bennies, and make it a PR move for the company. Someone should talk to him about this. Work for the competition and fark Hy_Vee. He obviously can do his job, even if he IS mentally retarded, you don't pay someone $13/hour to pop their zits and talk to their reflection in the dairy cooler glass.

MaesterFuzzy: His statement is a little odd. Obviously he's quite high-functioning if he can understand it's a little ridiculous that they didnt consider his mental state and abilities. That statement reads a little too...well, smart. Not saying he's faking it or anything, but clearly he's got the mind to understand how theft works and, yeah, I think he might have stolen them. Still 20 cents, but...

I'm going to guess that his attorney helped him out a little bit with that...which I don't see any problem with.

It is the principle of the issue. How do we know this was his first time stealing? If he is willing to take $0.20 what is next, $2mil? where does it end?

IXI Jim IXI: A spokesman for Hy-Vee, Ruth Comer, said the company offered to reinstate the employee on Tuesday with the same pay and benefits, $13 an hour, full-time at 35 hours a week and five weeks of vacation, according to Johnson

Holy hell, I'm in the wrong state/field/mental capacity

Indeed. Anyone over 25 or so that can't get at least $13/hr is doing it wrong.

MythDragon: WTF am I working this government job for?

The joy of raping the taxpayer?

(sorry...been reading too many Republican comments today)

phenn: FirstNationalBastard: PhiloeBedoe: thismomentinblackhistory: Retarded people are more loyal than a Black Lab or Golden Retriever.

And almost as smart.

Damn it, now I want to see someone remake Lassie with a retarded man in the role instead of a Collie.

You guys realize you're kind of being assholes, right?

welcome to fark

cbackous: It is the principle of the issue. How do we know this was his first time stealing? If he is willing to take $0.20 what is next, $2mil? where does it end?

One day, he'll steal the whole store... then the planet... THEN THE MOON!

Do we really want a retarded man to own the moon?

cbackous: If he is willing to take $0.20 what is next, $2mil? where does it end?

If someone leaves a $2mil receipt from recycling bottles behind, they deserve to have it stolen.

MaesterFuzzy: His statement is a little odd. Obviously he's quite high-functioning if he can understand it's a little ridiculous that they didnt consider his mental state and abilities. That statement reads a little too...well, smart. Not saying he's faking it or anything, but clearly he's got the mind to understand how theft works and, yeah, I think he might have stolen them. Still 20 cents, but...

Well. 'retarded' is really just a label. A valid label, no matter what Sarah Palin tells you, it is an adjective, and describes the developmental condition of someone.

That said, it doesn't automatically mean the person is Rain Man, but also just because he talks smart, it doesn't mean that every single part of his system is firing on all of the same cylinders, he can be very intelligent, seem high functioning, and not have any physical tells, but he can still have just some areas that aren't as developed.

As for "theft"? If the slips were left behind or dropped, they aren't going to be claimed, not for 20 cents. If he stole them the minute the bottles were redeemed, the customer would have noticed. A more likely story is that these are ones he redeemed bottles for, never bothered to turn in, forgot in his pocket or a drawer, and happened to come across them on the day he took the other bottles in.

dletter: On Nov. 2, after recycling $3.75 worth of bottles from home through the store's recycling machine, his mother said he tried to redeem 20 cents worth of credit slips dated in September that may have been left by customers.

WTF, I don't even consider that "stealing"... it isn't like he took two dimes out of the register.... isn't this the equivalent of picking up a lottery ticket someone left on the ground that happened to be a winner?

let me play devil's advocate.
when you open the door to letting retard employees use customer credit slips they just happen to *find*, then suddenly they have an incentive which runs directly counter to one which maximizes customer satisfaction, and more and more credit slips are *found* by thieving retards. 5 weeks vacation and $13 an hour not enough for this retard. give em an inch.

FirstNationalBastard: Do we really want a retarded man to own the moon?


I like pie!

MythDragon: Thats what I was wondering about. Full time benefits for a 35 hour week, and 5 weeks vacation? A a supermarket? WTF am I working this government job for?

5 weeks of vacation for working there 25 years isn't that unimaginable. At my job 0-9 gets 3-weeks vacation, 10-14 get 4-weeks vacation, 15-19 gets 5-weeks, and 20+ gets 6-weeks. He probably didn't get full time benefits for that whole 25-years either (maybe after he worked there for five). If you have been working somewhere for 25 years and only make $13 you are retarded.

reading this on a work computer at a hy-vee, getting a kick, etc.