Library Reinstates Homeless Janitor
Fired for Sleeping On-Site
Oak Park (Ill.) Public Library officials have agreed to rehire a janitor they fired in 1997 after the man, who was homeless, confessed to his supervisor that he had spent part of one night sleeping in a branch before beginning his work shift.
Paul Gannello, an 11-year employee who slept in his car, had told his boss the next morning that he had let himself into the library’s Dole Branch to rest for several hours because a traffic accident had rendered his car unusable. The library had contended that Gannello was dismissed several weeks later for breaching his employer’s trust and not because of his homelessness.
In a settlement reached June 6 during mediation, the library will also pay Gannello $30,000 and his lawyers’ fees of $55,167, as well as accepting employment referrals for more homeless people, according to the June 7 Chicago Tribune. Gannello will now work a day shift.
Posted June 12, 2000.
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