A Pizza Hut franchise owner is threatening to punish low-wage fast food workers who evacuated Hurricane Irma for longer than 72 hours. An internal memo sent to employees is being circulated on social media.
The Jacksonville restaurant manager reminded workers of strict employee guidelines that allows for evacuations in the event of a hurricane — as long as employees give notice and get back to work in time for the next shift.
The policy gave employees only a 24-hour “grace period” before the storm blows through.
If employees skipped their next shifts after the storm, they can be terminated per store policy.
The memo reads in part: “Our priority is the safety and security of our team. But, we also have a responsibility and commitment to our community to be there when they need us.”
The memo also notes that workers can’t evacuate on Friday if the storm blows through on Tuesday.
Hurricane Irma made landfall in Jacksonville as a category 2 tropical storm, causing 2-3 feet of flooding in some places.
Outraged Twitter directing their anger at @PizzaHut’s Twitter account.
One user tweeted: “This is absolutely disgusting. I don’t care is this is w a national or regional decision you need to fix this!!”
Pizza Hut responded late Monday, tweeting: “This isn’t what we stand for…” The corporate office “spoke to” the regional manager about the incident, but no disciplinary action was taken.
Irate users noted that the sheriff’s department warned residents to evacuate ahead of the storm.
