Goodwill in Iowa fires man with Down syndrome because his mother buys a $3 shirt

From Lancaster Eagle Gazette in Ohio:

As a controversial firing in Washington, D.C., dominated the news last week, a questionable firing in Washington, Iowa, slipped under the radar. This employee earned $11 per hour sorting donated items for Goodwill Industries of the Heartland. But to Dustin Sieren, 30, that job was as meaningful as a White House appointment.

Dustin has Down syndrome. For 10 years, he has found a routine, a purpose and an income through his work at Goodwill. He began in a job training program in high school and got hired after graduating.

Goodwill representatives say they can't speak specifically on personnel issues, but Dustin's mother, Rosemary Lane, described what happened to me and in letters to board members and the president of Goodwill of the Heartland, which covers eastern Iowa. No one flatly denied her basic facts.

She was meeting Dustin at the store before his shift on a Thursday, her day off, to donate goods. While there, she picked up a $3 shirt for him. The sales clerk at first refused to sell it to her because employees aren't allowed to shop at the store on days they are working. But there's no prohibition against family members shopping.

Lane said she'd been allowed before to buy for Dustin, who has no interest in buying clothes. Another employee told the clerk it was OK. Lane got the shirt, but she was then told employees can't even be in the store casually on days they are scheduled to work.

"Dustin has Down syndrome. If I don't understand the policy, how is he supposed to understand the policy?" Lane asked.

When Dustin went to work Monday, he was told he had broken company policy Thursday and was fired. Lane wrote to Goodwill of the Heartland President Jeff Nock explaining what happened and got back a letter saying, "We are sorry that things didn't work out with Goodwill and Dustin. ... If donors and customers felt that our staff get any favoritism at all in terms of what staff are able to purchase from stores, donors wouldn't donate and shoppers wouldn't shop."

The rules say violations of the shopping policy might be considered theft, and action "up to and including termination" can result. The misconduct section has four disciplinary levels, starting with verbal warnings.

Mark Zaiger, Goodwill's attorney, said, "The policy is clear. The employer has the authority to terminate." But so swiftly for an "offense" so ambiguous at best? Lane said a Goodwill official even acknowledged an employee had authorized her purchase. Goodwill spokeswoman Dana Engelbert said the shopping policy is strict because of a public perception "that Goodwill employees get all the good stuff." But Goodwill Industries of Central Iowa is more flexible than its Heartland counterpart. Employees can't buy things while on the clock, but they can before or after work. No one is fired on a first violation, said Marlyn McKeen, president.

Dustin's earnings at Goodwill and another part-time job have let him live semi-independently, but opportunities are scarce. Yes, a rule is a rule, but such seemingly harsh treatment of a disabled employee for a $3 shirt a clerk sold his mother seems over the top.

Goodwill's mission, to advance the social and economic well-being of people who face barriers, is honorable. It would surely be ironic if its handling of Dustin did the opposite.