Woman With Special Needs Fired; Family Says She Was Bullied

SHOREWOOD, WI — The family of a woman with special needs says their daughter was bullied into buying alcohol for her underage coworkers, and then was wrongly fired after she self-reported the incident to her superiors.

Gina Giacobassi, 25, worked at the Metro Market in Shorewood, 4075 N. Oakland Ave. for about four years until an incident in April.

According to her mother, Beth Giacobassi, Gina was on the job during the day on April 17 when two underage coworkers persuaded Gina to buy alcohol for them. Six days later, Gina self-reported what happened to store managers.

Gina's hand-written note dated April 23, was obtained by Patch. It read, in part, "they told me to buy them alcohol. I bought it for them because they wouldn't leave me alone. They are both underage. This isn't the first time they have asked me to buy them things."

According to Kroger's corporate ethics policy, "The company will not take any adverse action against any associate in retaliation for the proper and lawful reporting of improprieties."

One week after Gina submitted her hand-written incident report to her managers, she was fired.

"A week after she self-reported she was pulled from work, put in a room, where people wait to be arrested, with two security guards and no guardian, handed a suspension notice, and sent home. She came to our house with the paper in her hand sobbing," Beth said of her daughter in an interview with Patch. "I didn’t realize how bad the bullying was until she was asked in one of the interviews how she felt when she lost her job. She said, 'It’s okay because I was so tired of being bullied and laughed at all the time. I was just sick of it. I’m ready for a new job. But it’s really hard on my parents.'"

According to a petition filed online by the United Food And Commercial Workers Union Local 1473, the union asked for Gina's reinstatement several times, but was "told repeatedly by Kroger that the company is not interested in returning Gina to work, under any circumstances."

"The company has discretion to consider the circumstances of an incident and determine the appropriate discipline," union officials stated. "Kroger has chosen instead to see this issue as black and white, and to ignore the mitigating facts and circumstances that led to Gina being terminated for an unfortunate event of workplace bullying."

The Union filed a grievance on Gina's behalf and offered to settle if Kroger would agree to annual online harassment training, semi-annual notice about the company's anonymous ethics hotline, and a requirement that new store managers meet with an employee's support group to work out special accommodations that might be needed while on the job.

Union officials said Kroger denied the family's request and instead offered $3,500 along with a confidentiality clause that would prevent the family from talking about the settlement.

Gina's family didn't take the money, and are taking their case to the public. The family's hope is to pressure the company to adopt new trainings and policies, so that nobody else has to go through what Gina went through.

“We do not discuss personnel matters. Roundy’s is an Equal Opportunity Employer. The Company maintains and enforces a robust anti-discrimination and harassment policy that applies to all associates in our stores," a Kroger spokesperson replied, when Patch asked whether the company was considering reinstating Gina or following through on any new anti bullying training.

Beth told Patch that Gina is doing better. They're trying to find a new job for Gina, but in the meantime, her spirits have been lifted through the support she and her family has received from the community.

"People that knew her from Metro Market have reached out, along with friends, Neighbor’s, colleagues, former teachers, coaches and parents," Beth said. The outpouring has given us all strength."