The Verizon employee who heroically saved the cat on March 16 in Philadelphia, was for a time suspended from his job for violations of security protocols.
That day Maurice Herman decided to rescue a frightened cat named Princess Momma (Momma Princess), who was stuck on a telephone pole in Port Richmond, and held there for 12 hours, afraid to jump down. Local resident Amanda Fairchild Boyce took this moment on video, which quickly spread over the network.
Verizon SUSPENDS workers for using work equipment to rescue the cat who was stuck on the top of a telephone pole in the neighborhood where he was working https://t.co/GhdkBd3Snu pic.twitter.com/Lkl0bhVCRd
— Formerly Brightly5 (@Brightly50) March 23, 2019
Maurice for his heroism and sacrifice are universally praised social media users, but it turned out that the company he was working for the man, did not share the General enthusiasm. Verizon has decided to punish Herman, removing him from office for three weeks due to the fact that the rescue took place near power lines, which was a violation of safety rules of the company.
People, outraged by the decision, the company started a page on GoFundMe to support Herman temporarily left without work.
«This good man now may lose his job. You should be ashamed of yourself Verizon! What kind of company punishes an employee for SAFE help the community! — posted by Boyce in Facebook, on the company’s page using the hashtag #cancelverizon. How dare you punish him for helping their customers! This beautiful story has become terrible thanks to you!»
As of Monday, Hermann decided to support 149 people, sacrificing him $3395. Although initially requested amount was only $2400. So much, according to the founders page, it would be enough for the worker to cover his suspension.
Watch: «Hero» Verizon worker rescues cat stuck on utility pole, gets suspended for violating security protocol https://t.co/XSwhHOnRCA pic.twitter.com/is73mezUIu
— Newsweek (@Newsweek) March 25, 2019
First, Verizon has refrained from commenting, but after all decided to explain the reasons for his action to reporters ABC6 Action News.
The company emphasizes that it is responsible for the safety of their employees and customers.
«All of our field technicians receive comprehensive training that focuses on safety in the workplace. Our goal is to protect our employees and customers from danger, – said the representative of the company, Our trucks and other similar equipment not designed for use in the area where Maurice Herman worked, especially in the immediate vicinity of electrical wires».
Verizon say that they understand that their actions may not be understood by other people, but they are just worried that Herman could endanger your life and the lives of others if something went wrong.
To demonstrate your support for animal rescue, Verizon made a donation to the Pennsylvania SPCA in Fishtown. This organization takes care of abandoned cats and other animals and finds them new homes.
