Residents in Florida who work at a Pizza Hut were told by the manager that workers would be disciplined if they evacuated due to the deadly hurricane that barreled down on the state. A photo quickly circulated on Twitter of a memo posted for employees in one Jacksonville Pizza Hut location, which included a list of instructions for employees according to the Washington Post.
“To all Team members,” the memo begins, then lays out a policy that dictates that employees cannot evacuate more than 24 hours before the storm, and then must return within 72 hours. “Failure to show for these shifts, regardless of reason, will be considered a no call/no show and documentation will be issued,” it states. “After the storm, we need all TM’s available to get the store up and running and serve our communities as needed.”
Pizza Hut wants its minimum wage employees to risk their lives for corporate profits. (@KatiSipp) pic.twitter.com/r8rwb3O7I6
— Jacobin (@jacobinmag) September 11, 2017
We’re not sure how drivers can deliver pizza during or following a storm, even for a whopping $7.91 per hour, which is totally worth risking your life for. After all, you’re a “team member.”
Obviously, a backlash ensued on Twitter, probably because most people don’t want to see Pizza Hut employees die.
@pizzahut why do you threaten workers who flee Irma?This is sick!
— brucewayne (@centurysavior) September 11, 2017
@pizzahut You guys are closed on Christmas, but sending delivery drivers to their death for a hurricane? What’s up with that?
— Avery (@Avyrey) September 11, 2017
This is sick
— Serena Vega (@Serena_vegaYT) September 11, 2017
Because the first thing I’m concerned about in a Cat 5 storm is whether or not I can get a stuffed crust pizza delivered.
— Josva Oedon 👻🏴 (@gtch603) September 11, 2017
Pizza Hut has been taking a lot of flak and issued a statement.
“We are uncompromising in our commitment to the safety and well-being of our team members,” the statement begins.
“All locations in the path of Irma are closed and will remain closed until local authorities deem the area safe. We absolutely do not have a policy that dictates when team members can leave or return from a disaster, and the manager who posted this letter did not follow company guidelines.”
“We can also confirm that the local franchise operator has addressed this situation with the manager involved,” it concludes while confirming that the manager of the store did indeed tell his or her employees that they would be disciplined for fleeing from a deadly hurricane.
But not all Pizza Hut restaurants are bad. A Pizza Hut in the Houston area participated in relief efforts and handed out free pizza pies to Hurricane Harvey victims. One Pizza Hut manager, Shayda Habib, took it upon herself to use a kayak in order to deliver free pizza to people who were stuck in flooded homes. By the way, Ms. Habib is pregnant.
Photo via Ulrich Baumgarten/Getty Images.
