Colorado man says Budweiser distributor fired him for drinking Coors

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DENVER (AP) - Ross Hopkins still likes to drink Bud, even though he says a brief tryst with a Coors beer cost him his job at a Budweiser distributor.

Hopkins, 41, is suing American Eagle Distributing Co., saying the company wrongly fired him for drinking Coors in a bar two years ago. "They flat-out told me: 'We're putting food on your table so you could put it on theirs?"' he said Tuesday. "I thought I could drink it, no problem."

Hopkins' lawsuit, filed in a Greeley, Colo., court, seeks unspecified damages for lost wages and benefits. No trial date has been set.

Jeff Bedingfield, a lawyer for the distributor, declined comment, saying: "American Eagle prefers not to try this case in the media."

Colorado law states workers cannot be fired for a legal activity while off duty and away from work. There are exceptions, such as when a worker's actions relate to an occupational requirement or create a conflict of interest.

In a court filing, American Eagle said Hopkins' termination "was necessary to avoid a conflict of interest with his responsibilities to American Eagle and/or the appearance of such a conflict of interest."

Hopkins, who was a warehouse supervisor for the distributor, said he was not wearing a uniform or representing American Eagle when he was at the bar in May 2003 with some co-workers. He said he had ordered a Budweiser but a waitress brought Coors. He decided to drink it because he didn't want to wait.

The son-in-law of the distributor's majority shareholder also was at the bar and offered twice to buy him a Budweiser but Hopkins turned it down both times.

He was fired the following Monday.

Source: http://www.ap.org/


Ooookkkkkkkkkay.
 
Jeez... that's like me working for McDonalds and then getting fired because someone there caught me having lunch with a friend at Wendys. :crazy:
 
I was not surprised after read your thread here because I know some of problems like this here in Germany.

Something like that:

My hubby's co-worker was fired because he took a pen to home. He was caught by guards before leave company to home at few years ago.
Yes, guards can stop them for check if they want to. They found a pen in his case which they know the pen is not belong to him.

He claimed that he did not notice that he put a pen in his case by accidently. He was fired over that. He did sued and lost at the court.

Why?

Because he should not take something which it's not belong to him. It makes no difference either it's big or not.

I often read the people's stories in the magazines how they were fired over that little nonsense things.

I remember from read the magazine that a lady who work in the kitchen of the restaurant. They received overleft cakes from guests so the Chef throw overleft cakes away to rubbish bin which it's not first time. Chef said NO to her to take overleft cakes. She thought what a waste because the cake look good. Few days later she & her co-workers took some of overleft cakes to home. On next day after that she and her co-workers were accussed by Chef for "steal" overleft cakes. He fired them. They sued Chef and lost in the court. :-o Why they lost at the court?
BECAUSE
Chef answer:
He don't want to be responsible if one of his employees got ill or being "poison" after accept the overleft/non-use foods from guests. All what he respect healthy law. That's why the judge agree with him and explain a lady that she should not take something which it's not belong to her but Chef. It's Chef's decision either he want to give cake to her or not.
 
VamPyroX said:
Jeez... that's like me working for McDonalds and then getting fired because someone there caught me having lunch with a friend at Wendys. :crazy:
Click to expand...

Yes, I know it sounds :crazy: but the employer do not pay his/her employee to have lunch with his/her friends during duty hour.

Yes, I'm agree that the employer should take few $ off from his/her wages instead of fire him/her.

Some of employers are bad heart.

The reason is I demand work agreement contract for the safety. I would feel helpless against my employer without Work Agreement Contract. I have work agreement contract.
 
I have seen this before, it happen with coke company too, someone drank pepsi while working at coke company site. I think that too silly to fire people over what they drink except alcholol that they shouldnt drink at work.
 
When my hubby's dad used to work for a car maker in MI, they expected all employees to drive only American-made autos to work. If someone drove a foreign car to work, especially a Japanese car, that person got mocked, and the car would get vandalized.
 
Liebling:-))) said:
Yes, I know it sounds :crazy: but the employer do not pay his/her employee to have lunch with his/her friends during duty hour.

Yes, I'm agree that the employer should take few $ off from his/her wages instead of fire him/her.

Some of employers are bad heart.

The reason is I demand work agreement contract for the safety. I would feel helpless against my employer without Work Agreement Contract. I have work agreement contract.
Click to expand...
I'm not talking about on-duty. This guy was fired for drinking Coors while off-duty.
 
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