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NEWS > U.S.A. > MCDONALD’S SHOOTING EMPLOYEES WITHOUT HEALTH INSURANCE
MCDONALD’S SHOOTING EMPLOYEES WITHOUT HEALTH INSURANCE
February 24 2009
Little Rock, AR – With all the risks associated with high fat diets and fast food the last thing people expect to put in their body during a trip to McDonald’s is a bullet. That’s exactly what happened to 22 year-old Nigel Haskett last August when attempting to stop an altercation between a man and a woman. Haskett was working at the restaurant and jumped into action after observing the fight between a couple and for his heroism received multiple bullets in his body.
Now after enduring months of hospitalization and multiple surgeries Haskett is being faced with a $300,000 bill and indifference from McDonald’s insurance company. It’s not yet clear if Haskett has returned to his job and if so whether or not he has received a pay increase to help with the bills.
“Haskett essentially jumped in front of a bullet for this woman and now is going to be stuck paying for it for the rest of his life. The wages that they give at McDonald’s generally doesn’t allow for quite that much spare cash,” said Scrape TV Business analyst Ken Green. “It’s going to take a long time for him to pull out of debt at minimum wage. Luckily for him Arkansas minimum wage just went up to $6.55 and leaps to $7.25 in July. With merit increases he may able to pay off the debt by the time he dies.” 
Haskett has hired a lawyer to help in obtaining compensation from McDonald’s and their insurer. The company initially rejected the claim on grounds that ‘Mr. Haskett’s injuries did not arise out of or within the course and scope of his employment’. Officially McDonald’s does not ask nor give training in acts of heroism. Traditionally tasks at the restaurants include cooking, assembling food, and general custodial work.
“Strictly speaking they are correct. An employer cannot be held responsible for every action their employees engage in. If Haskett had been asked by a superior to leap to the woman’s defence 
then there may be an argument but as it stands that doesn’t appear to be the case,”
continued Green. “While admirable, his actions were far above his pay grade and as such the company can’t be expected to pay out of their pocket to help him. They would be setting a dangerous precedent that could cause serious issues for their long term viability. All of a sudden we would be seeing acts of heroism at McDonald’s across the country and that would cause premiums to skyrocket. Saving one person’s life really isn’t worth putting thousands of employees out of work and there really isn’t enough money in being a superhero to make it worth leaving a steady paycheque.”
Traditionally superheroes have held jobs separate from their hero persona. While this was done in large part to protect their real identity, there is no official pay structure in place for heroism in the United States leaving many to moonlight.
“Superman worked as a reporter, Spiderman as a photographer. They didn’t do that as a hobby they did that to pay the bills. The history of heroism is filled with people who have had to make a sacrifice without he thought of compensation. In fact that’s more or less what defines a hero,” said Scrape TV Labour analyst Mika Borman. “I will say too that the compensation due superheroes is far inferior to that given to McDonald’s employees. There’s no medical, no dental, and if you are injured on the job, forget it. Superheroes are such a unique profession that the risk of union troubles is low, which leads to all kinds of abuses. You have to feel for this young man but ultimately it was his decision to act, and those actions led to his predicament.”
Fellow fast food restaurant chains Wendy’s, Arby’s, and Burger King have similar policies regarding heroism inside the restaurants.
“One of the inherent dangers of this type of behaviour, and more than likely the driving reason behind their reticence to pay, is the trickle-down effect. Everyone knows that fast food is extremely unhealthy and really maims and kills a lot of people. That last thing you want to see is vigilante fry cooks leaping over the counter grabbing Big Macs out of people’s hands. That kind of thing just isn’t good for business and really just makes a mess of the place,” continued Green. “You also run the risk of the employees developing individual thoughts and ideas and that’s the last thing employers want. Personality does not ask if you want fries with that.”
Haskett’s case is ongoing and may eventually be appealed to the Supreme Court which has traditionally frowned on acts of heroism.
Mike Michaels, American Correspondent
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