DOWN’S MAN IS NOT OUT
Rehired at Wendy’s
A man with Down syndrome who was fired from his Wendy’s job of 20 years has been reinstated after a Facebook post detailing the situation went viral.
Dennis Peek, 51, who works at the chain restaurant in Stanley, NC, was initially fired because “he wasn’t able to do his job like a normal person,” Peek’s sister claimed on social media.
Furious at the situation, sister Cona Young Turner wrote in a Facebook post that she was “heartbroken” when he was relieved of his job.
“His dream was to retire from there some day and he was looking forward to a huge retirement party,” Turner wrote on Wednesday.
“We may just give him that party and tell him he has retired because he does not understand being fired.”
“They told me was unable to perform the duties of a normal persons job,” she wrote. “I am also looking into a wrongful termination of a special needs employee.
“I am very disappointed with the management at Wendy’s in Stanley, they have no idea how they hurt my brother!”
Turner later updated her post to say the restaurant had given Peek his job back, thanking people for their support.
She said she received a call from the local franchise owner, the Carolina Restaurant Group, the day after she posted to Facebook, Charlotte news station WSOC reported Friday.
The company said they would reinstate her brother and that he would be able to return to the job as soon as next week.
Happy ending
“My heart is overwhelmed by the support that you all have given my brother and myself!” Turner wrote. “Thank you all so much.”
The restaurant group said in a statement that they are “committed to creating a welcoming and inclusive environment for our employees and our customers,” adding that the firing was “an unfortunate mistake and lapse in protocol.”