McDonald’s employee fired after paying for firefighters’ meals

A New York woman says she was fired from McDonald’s after she and her co-workers paid for some firefighters’ meals when the franchise declined to donate the food.

Heather Levia, 23, told the Olean Times-Herald she was asked by a Salvation Army representative if the restaurant would donate a meal to firefighters who had been on the scene of a house fire Wednesday morning.

She said when management declined to donate the food, she pooled resources with fellow employees to pay for the meals. She was let go during her Friday morning shift.

“I was told I was being fired for going against the wishes of McDonald’s as well has having my own opinion on not donating to the firefighters,” she said. “I was so caught off-guard by this. I’m very distraught that I would be fired over something like this. I was just trying to give back to the firefighters and they weren’t asking for much.”

Levia said she was also told she was being fired for swearing at management, which she said she didn’t do.

The franchise’s owner, Tom Meyers, denied Levia’s allegations, according to WIVB.

“It should be pointed out that the allegations are absolutely not true,” Meyers said. “We would never penalize an employee for showing appropriate gratitude for the work of our firefighters.”

The two co-workers who also donated money were not let go and were reimbursed by the company. Levia said the attention didn’t cause McDonald’s management to change its mind, but has led to multiple job offers.

Contact Stephanie Grimes at sgrimes@reviewjournal.com. Find her on Twitter: @steph_grimes