A new father in New Hampshire was fired from his security guard job after missing work to witness the birth of his son on New Year’s Day.
Lamar Austin’s bosses at Salerno Protective Services told him that if he did not show up for his shift, he would be “terminated,” according to the Concord Monitor.
“It was hard, but if I have to choose between work and family, I’m always going to pick my family,” the 30-year-old told the newspaper, who along with wife Lindsay welcomed son Cainan at 7:44 a.m. on Jan. 1.
Austin, who served more than three years in the Army, said that he was a month into a 90-day probationary contract and missed shifts on Dec. 30 and 31 because Lindsay went into labor.
He said he received a text an hour into the new year telling him he was terminated.
Salerno Protective Services told the Monitor that it cannot comment on the firing, but told WCVB that it “is not in the practice of releasing employees for reasons stated in the article published in the Monitor but must be cognizant of the product we give our clients!”
Attention paid to the Austins’ plight resulted in New Hampshire union officials offering the father new job opportunities that would allow him to spend time with his family.
The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers in Concord and the New Hampshire AFL-CIO both offered him apprenticeships, according to the Monitor.
“We don’t toleratte absenteeism, but we certainly don’t penalize someone for wanting to attend the birth of his son,” IBEW business manager Denis Beaudoin told the Daily News.
Beaudoin said that he read Austin was interested in electrical work in a story about his hardship, and expects him to apply for the apprenticeship as soon as he gets his transcripts together.
It was not immediately clear which offer Austin will choose.
A GoFundMe page for his family and their new baby set up by a well-wisher had also raised more than $750 as of Thursday afternoon.
