Walmart Employee Fired For Turning In Recovered $350 Too Slowly

#1 Walmart Employee Fired For Turning In Recovered $350 Too Slowly

A Walmart maintenance worker on the job for nearly two decades says he was fired for moving too slowly to turn in $350 he found in the parking lot.

#2 Managers Say He Was Fired For Gross Misconduct

Michael Walsh, 45, says he was called into the manager's office of the Walmart Neighborhood Market in Niskayuna, New York on November 6 and promptly fired for "gross misconduct."

#3 He Found Money While Cleaning The Store Lot

Walsh was picking up garbage in the store parking lot when he found a $5 bill. He says he immediately went inside and turned the cash over to his manager. He was thanked, then went back out to continue cleaning before his shift ended.

#4 Moments Later He Found More Money But Continued His Job Cleaning

When he went back outside to resume his duties, Walsh says he found a small stack of $20 and $10 bills. The bills were loose without an envelope or identification as to who owned the cash.

The man says he resumed collecting garbage and then counted the money when he had a moment. When he went back inside the store to find his manager 30 minutes later, Walsh says he heard a commotion.

#5 When He Went To Turn In The Found Money He Saw A Woman Freaking Out About Her Lost Dough

"A woman was yelling at a manager, freaking out that she lost her money and I got nervous," Walsh said. "I kind of froze and didn't want any trouble."

He turned the money over to the manager and says he heard nothing else about the cash.

#6 The Store Manager Says That Walsh Waited Over 30 Minutes To Return The Money And That Was Too Long

Two days later, he was fired after a manager showed him surveillance tape which showed 30 minutes had elapsed from the time he found the cash to the time he turned it in. He was told to turn in his name tag, vest, and discount card and was escorted from the store. Walsh, who worked as a full-time employee, has just gotten a raise to $14.95 an hour. He says he is now seeking employment at other retail stores in New York. "The only thing I did wrong was hesitate," Walsh said, who is 45. "I didn't steal anything. They didn't give me any warning. They just fired me."

#7 A Small Group Is Advocating On His Behalf But Will Probably Get Little Results With The Super Store

The incident attracted a groundswell of support from worker-rights advocates. Groups like Making Change at Walmart are apparently organizing Walmart boycotts, citing the company's baseless terminations and overall mistreatment of its workers. The group is asking shoppers to avoid Walmart for the rest of the year.