A Wal-Mart in
The employee, Michael Walsh, was fired from his maintenance worker position last month after turning in money he found in the parking lot of a Wal-Mart located in Niskayuna. Walsh turned in the money about half an hour after he discovered it. He was subsequently fired for “gross misconduct,” reports the Times Union.
Walsh, a 45-year-old former full-time employee, told the Times Union:
“The only thing i did wrong was hesitate. I didn’t steal anything. They didn’t give me any warning. They just fired me.”
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As part of his duties as a maintenance worker, Walsh had to pick up garbage and collect stray shopping carts. According to Walsh, he came across a $5 bill in the parking lot and immediately turned it into the manager. However, when he went back out he found a small stack of $20s and $10s that were not in an envelope and had no form of identification.
After finishing his task, he counted the money, which totaled to $350. He put it in his pants pocket before going back into the store that was adjacent to a Berkshire Bank branch. Walsh, who has anxiety issues, said as he was about to turn in the money he heard a commotion and recalled:
“A woman was yelling at a manger, freaking out that she lost her money and I got nervous. I kind of froze and didn’t want any trouble.”
Walsh returned to his job cleaning bathrooms before he found the manager and gave him the $350 half an hour after he found it. The manager took the money from Walsh without a word.
Two days later, Walsh was confronted with a surveillance tape by his manager and terminated from his job after 18 years with Wal-Mart.
Walsh was two years away from a 10 percent lifetime discount card for 20-year employees. He also recently received a raise to $14.53 an hour. Walsh said:
“I was really looking forward to that lifetime discount card in two more years. They took that from me.”
