Fired For Paying Someone's Toll - WTH?

[kent]

If this report is accurate, what in the hell is going on in this world?  If somebody were caught putting money in their pocket and then fired, there would be all kinds of people running off at the mouth about a troubled childhood, blah, blah, blah and he/she should get a second chance.

www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/beloved-toll-collector-says-he-was-fired-for-paying-someones-toll/ar-AAdeOWC

A Florida community is rallying around a local toll collector, saying that he was fired unjustly for paying someone else's toll.

Vladislav "Sam" Samsonov had been collecting the toll at the Gasparilla Island Bridge, which takes motorists into Boca Grande, near Fort Myers, for nearly 30 years.

He's known to have treats on hand for dogs, and lollipops for the kids.

"After 29 years, you can't help it. I gave children suckers 20 years ago," the veteran told NBC-2 "Now I'm giving those children suckers for their children."

But it all came to end when he was fired last week after accidentally undercharging a driver and paying the difference out of his own pocket.

"He broke the rules by putting $5.50 into the cash register from his pocket after he realized he missed a trailer being pulled by a vehicle and wanted his register to balance with the axel counts and was caught on tape putting money from his pocket into the register," his daughter, Patricia Samsonov Gillis, wrote on Facebook.

Since the Gasparilla Island Bridge Authority told the NBC station it does not comment on personnel matters, it's not clear if that's the true reason he was let go.

What is clear is that the firing has upset many in the community......

[ՏՇԾԵԵʅՏɧ_LԹՏՏʅҼ]

NO good deed goes unpunished.

[ArchietheDragon]

He was probably a Russian spy that was just outted.

[ken a.k.a OMK]

He did that to balance his register after realizing he didn't charge them enough. So if he hadn't and was short at the end of his shift what would they have done? Fire him maybe. Geeez

[The Captain]

Any of you guys ever worked as a cashier?  I have at several jobs.

You don't mess with register totals.  He would have been better off turning in short and owning the mistake rather than trying to cover it up.

He didn't pay someone else's toll.  He undercharged and didn't balance.  Then tried to cover it up.

[lexxy703]

He's worked there for 30 years.  Unless this wasn't the first time it happened.

[Peace Of Mind]

Crazy!  But we shouldn't be surprised based on the other stuff that goes on these days. 

The 21st Century: where the assholes get rewarded and good deeds get punished.    

[NoNamePerson]

Probably gonna fire him and take away his pension if he receives one. Replace him with a kid making minimum wage. Can't draw UE and will wind up on the streets homeless. 

[Deleted]

You know what's surprising to me?

That it doesn't surprise me...

And that makes me sad.

[ArchietheDragon]

There's either a whole lot more to this story, or a whole lot less.

[joemilitary]

Jul 20, 2015 11:50:52 GMT -5 The Captain said:

Any of you guys ever worked as a cashier?  I have at several jobs.

You don't mess with register totals.  He would have been better off turning in short and owning the mistake rather than trying to cover it up.

He didn't pay someone else's toll.  He undercharged and didn't balance.  Then tried to cover it up.

I'm confused.....He realized he made a mistake, and decided to voluntarily take responsibility by paying money from his own pocket to cover the mistake......

If this is the only thing he did and was only a first or 2nd offense , I don't see anything wrong

[kent]

Apparently some people didn't read the entire article.

She also said that he wasn't fired immediately, but was instead offered the option of working two days a week.

He refused the offer.

"If I can't be trusted for five days, how can I be trusted for two days?" he told the NBC station.

If he was offered a two-day option then it was not a dischargeable offense in the first place now was it?  There has to be more to this story or the employer has a bunch of loons running the HR unit.

Tenn - help me out here........

[kent]

Jul 20, 2015 16:21:11 GMT -5 Peace Of Mind said:

Crazy!  But we shouldn't be surprised based on the other stuff that goes on these days. 

The 21st Century: where the assholes get rewarded and good deeds get punished.    

 times 10,000

[ՏՇԾԵԵʅՏɧ_LԹՏՏʅҼ]

My first guess (before your latest update) was that whoever first surveyed the video, assumed he was lifting money from the till - rather than making up a shortage.

I'm wondering if the 2 days a week that he was offered was a probationary move and meant to be a temporary disciplinary action.

There's more to this story that's missing.

[Tennesseer]

Jul 20, 2015 21:55:36 GMT -5 kent said:

Apparently some people didn't read the entire article.

She also said that he wasn't fired immediately, but was instead offered the option of working two days a week.

He refused the offer.

"If I can't be trusted for five days, how can I be trusted for two days?" he told the NBC station.

If he was offered a two-day option then it was not a dischargeable offense in the first place now was it?  There has to be more to this story or the employer has a bunch of loons running the HR unit.

Tenn - help me out here........

You have to use the tag function to get another poster's attention. Fortunately I just opened this thread.


Little to go on here. I learned there were always two sides of the story. We are only hearing one side here.

My take: he was not fired but demoted to part-time.

It is possible this is not the first time (second, third or more...) he screwed up and made up for his error by paying the difference out of his own pocket. My guess is he paid the difference because he got in trouble a previous time for doing the same thing. This means his employer has to pay him back to make him whole. Should he be terminated, the business would not want him going to collect UI and telling the agency he paid out of his own pocket for his errors and his employer did not pay him back.

I believe his heart is in the right place but I believe he cannot or will not follow company rules. Because he has been there for almost 30 years, he was demoted to part-time and not fired.

Just a fewcquick thoughts.

[ՏՇԾԵԵʅՏɧ_LԹՏՏʅҼ]

You're correct about previous warnings, Tennesseer:

elitedaily.com/news/world/popular-toll-collector-fired-paying-someone-toll-video/1117486/

According to his daughter’s Facebook post, Sam was previously issued warnings about paying tolls for drivers, but it was still a bit of a shock when he was asked to leave.

Unfortunately he has broken rules in the past such as loaning his own money to people who realized they did not have enough on them when they arrived at the toll booth, which GIBA frowns upon.

[NoNamePerson]

Jul 20, 2015 22:50:10 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

Jul 20, 2015 21:55:36 GMT -5 kent said:

Apparently some people didn't read the entire article.

She also said that he wasn't fired immediately, but was instead offered the option of working two days a week.

He refused the offer.

"If I can't be trusted for five days, how can I be trusted for two days?" he told the NBC station.

If he was offered a two-day option then it was not a dischargeable offense in the first place now was it?  There has to be more to this story or the employer has a bunch of loons running the HR unit.

Tenn - help me out here........

You have to use the tag function to get another poster's attention. Fortunately I just opened this thread.


Little to go on here. I learned there were always two sides of the story. We are only hearing one side here.

My take: he was not fired but demoted to part-time.

It is possible this is not the first time (second, third or more...) he screwed up and made up for his error by paying the difference out of his own pocket. My guess is he paid the difference because he got in trouble a previous time for doing the same thing. This means his employer has to pay him back to make him whole. Should he be terminated, the business would not want him going to collect UI and telling the agency he paid out of his own pocket for his errors and his employer did not pay him back.

I believe his heart is in the right place but I believe he cannot or will not follow company rules. Because he has been there for almost 30 years, he was demoted to part-time and not fired.

Just a fewcquick thoughts.

Guess being demoted to PT would mean the company no longer had to provide any benefits and he lost all that? Funny how that works.

[Virgil Showlion]

Jul 20, 2015 23:30:17 GMT -5 ՏՇԾԵԵʅՏɧ_LԹՏՏʅҼ said:

You're correct about previous warnings, Tennesseer:

elitedaily.com/news/world/popular-toll-collector-fired-paying-someone-toll-video/1117486/

According to his daughter’s Facebook post, Sam was previously issued warnings about paying tolls for drivers, but it was still a bit of a shock when he was asked to leave.

Unfortunately he has broken rules in the past such as loaning his own money to people who realized they did not have enough on them when they arrived at the toll booth, which GIBA frowns upon.

So that's really it?

They're firing him for fixing his mistakes.

Somebody please find a debunker article proving he was really fired for skimming off the toll or giving drivers the finger or something. Please.

Bureaucratic idiocy cannot possibly run this deep.

[Value Buy]

Jul 21, 2015 9:15:23 GMT -5 Virgil Showlion said:

Jul 20, 2015 23:30:17 GMT -5 ՏՇԾԵԵʅՏɧ_LԹՏՏʅҼ said:

You're correct about previous warnings, Tennesseer:

elitedaily.com/news/world/popular-toll-collector-fired-paying-someone-toll-video/1117486/

So that's really it?

They're firing him for fixing his mistakes.

Somebody please find a debunker article proving he was really fired for skimming off the toll or giving drivers the finger or something. Please.

Bureaucratic idiocy cannot possibly run this deep.

Sure it can.

[Ryan]

I'm sure there is more to the story, but either way it's not that surprising to me.  These places are looking for integrity when it comes to handling the cash and balancing the drawer.  Someone that puts $5.50 into the drawer is probably as likely to pull out $5.50 when they are over.  

[toomuchreality]

If he was fired based on his job performance and his history warranted it, I can understand it.

If, on the other hand, he was fired based on trumped up, or mickey mouse charges, because it's cheaper to pay 2 part time employees, than it is to pay 1 full time employee who has earned promotions and raises and receives benefits, that's just plain wrong.

If it's cuz he started using benefits, I think that's wrong too, but employers get away with it all the time.   They're not benefits, if you can't use them.

[Angel!]

Jul 21, 2015 9:31:10 GMT -5 Ryan said:

I'm sure there is more to the story, but either way it's not that surprising to me.  These places are looking for integrity when it comes to handling the cash and balancing the drawer.  Someone that puts $5.50 into the drawer is probably as likely to pull out $5.50 when they are over.  

  Bingo!

When I worked a register, you never messed with the money.  Someone who is willing to try to cover a mistake by putting more in is just as likely to try to cover a mistake by taking some out.  And the people willing to do those things can also be the ones that are ok with overcharging or not giving back correct change & putting the difference in their pocket.  You don't want someone ok with messing with the money regardless of why they are doing it.  It's just a huge no-no.  If he makes that many mistakes then he should go, not be paying for them out of pocket.

[Virgil Showlion]

Jul 23, 2015 16:13:47 GMT -5 Angel! said:

Jul 21, 2015 9:31:10 GMT -5 Ryan said:

I'm sure there is more to the story, but either way it's not that surprising to me.  These places are looking for integrity when it comes to handling the cash and balancing the drawer.  Someone that puts $5.50 into the drawer is probably as likely to pull out $5.50 when they are over.  

  Bingo!

When I worked a register, you never messed with the money.  Someone who is willing to try to cover a mistake by putting more in is just as likely to try to cover a mistake by taking some out.  And the people willing to do those things can also be the ones that are ok with overcharging or not giving back correct change & putting the difference in their pocket.  You don't want someone ok with messing with the money regardless of why they are doing it.  It's just a huge no-no.  If he makes that many mistakes then he should go, not be paying for them out of pocket.

Yeesh.

Remind me to never fix my mistakes if I undercharge somebody.

[Value Buy]

Jul 23, 2015 17:00:47 GMT -5 Virgil Showlion said:

Jul 23, 2015 16:13:47 GMT -5 Angel! said:

  Bingo!

When I worked a register, you never messed with the money.  Someone who is willing to try to cover a mistake by putting more in is just as likely to try to cover a mistake by taking some out.  And the people willing to do those things can also be the ones that are ok with overcharging or not giving back correct change & putting the difference in their pocket.  You don't want someone ok with messing with the money regardless of why they are doing it.  It's just a huge no-no.  If he makes that many mistakes then he should go, not be paying for them out of pocket.

Yeesh.

Remind me to never fix my mistakes if I undercharge somebody.

I am not even sure how the state would know he undercharged the vehicle. If the system is that smart, why not charge electronically rather than manual.

[andi9899]

If I got caught paying people's premiums, I would get fired because it's illegal. They probably just have a zero tolerance law like we do.

[Virgil Showlion]

Jul 23, 2015 17:05:31 GMT -5 Value Buy said:

Jul 23, 2015 17:00:47 GMT -5 Virgil Showlion said:

Yeesh.

Remind me to never fix my mistakes if I undercharge somebody.

I am not even sure how the state would know he undercharged the vehicle. If the system is that smart, why not charge electronically rather than manual.

The state wouldn't know. The only logical reason to put money back in the till is because he takes pride in doing his job well.

He's been a toll booth collector for 30 years, there's only so much you can do to go above and beyond. You can be friendly (which he apparently is), you can be accommodating (such as loaning people cash to pay the toll), and you can be 100% efficient in toll collection (by paying out of pocket in the event you undercharge somebody).

Hence every bit of evidence we have suggests this fellow takes pride in his job and really wants to do it well.

We can't have that, so: fire him and put in somebody who knows well enough not to put the pride of a job well done before bureaucratic protocol. And the new guy probably won't be a dirty thief either.

[andi9899]

The messed up thing is, if he had realized it and then just side "my bad, my till is short $5.50" he probably would still have a job. But because he wanted to right his wrong and not cheat anyone out of any money, he gets to stand in the unemployment line.

[ՏՇԾԵԵʅՏɧ_LԹՏՏʅҼ]

He'd been previously warned about making up for shortages.

He'd made mistakes in the past and was reprimanded, and this time was caught on video slipping money into the till to make up his shortage, so what are they to do?

It's unfortunate since he's likely close to retirement - and he's a long-time employee.

I'm wondering if they're trying to get out of paying him a retirement package or any benefits/pension he may have accrued.

[Virgil Showlion]

Jul 23, 2015 17:24:08 GMT -5 ՏՇԾԵԵʅՏɧ_LԹՏՏʅҼ said:

He'd been previously warned about making up for shortages.

He'd made mistakes in the past and was reprimanded, and this time was caught on video slipping money into the till to make up his shortage, so what are they to do?

It's unfortunate since he's likely close to retirement - and he's a long-time employee.

I'm wondering if they're trying to get out of paying him a retirement package or any benefits/pension he may have accrued.

That's why it's not a clean-cut issue, unfortunately.

If you've been warned not to break a stupid rule and you break the stupid rule anyway, what should happen to you?

Normally we fall back to 'let the punishment fit the crime', but in this case the rule is so stupid that doing so would entail giving the guy extra money to compensate him for his hypervigilance.

I suppose if they told him "if you do this again, we'll fire you", then he had it coming, but I get the impression he expected a slap on the wrist because it's a stupid rule. Going from 'slap on the wrist' to 'firing just short of retirement' just to make an example of him is flat-out poor management.

[kent]

I suppose if they told him "if you do this again, we'll fire you", then he had it coming, but I get the impression he expected a slap on the wrist because it's a stupid rule. Going from 'slap on the wrist' to 'firing just short of retirement' just to make an example of him is flat-out poor management.

This is why some HR departments are referred to as:

A. The Anti-Personnel Department or,

B. The Inhuman Resources Department

Just saying