‘Committed’ to people with disabilities: Hy-Vee says it offered worker with special needs his job back

By Sarah Klinger

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    OMAHA, Nebraska (KETV) — Grocery store chain Hy-Vee responded Monday after a social media firestorm over the firing of an Omaha employee with special needs.

Family members of a worker named Anthony who they describe as “intellectually disabled” wrote a Facebook post on Aug. 17 that garnered nearly 4,000 shares, 1,300 comments, and 2,800 reactions by Monday evening.

They alleged the man lost his job over a misunderstanding.

KETV NewsWatch 7 reached out to Hy-Vee for comment. The store chain said Monday it’s offering Anthony his job back.

“We have been talking with Anthony’s family to remedy this situation, and we have offered him his position back. At Hy-Vee, we continue to be committed to hiring, retaining and supporting people with disabilities, and we have a longstanding history which demonstrates that. As with any employer, we cannot discuss specific personnel details; however, we are actively working on a resolution.”

While Hy-Vee wouldn’t give exact specifics of what led to Anthony’s removal, in the post, his family said his termination report stated “unauthorized removal of store property.”

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