Don't Junk the Janitor

Danielle Jackson

As if his job didn't already involve sifting through trash, a janitor working in the Atlanta Capitol building was fired recently after being accused of picking through a legislator's garbage can.

James Lowe was fired after Georgia state Sen. Rusty Paul, R-Atlanta, complained that he had seen Lowe sorting papers in the lawmaker's office garbage can. Paul said that he was concerned that sensitive government documents may leak out.

Lowe explained that he was in the building across from the Capitol because he was retrieving discarded newspapers to read the sports section and the obituaries. But the seven-year employee was fired anyway.

After some thought, Paul realized that Lowe meant no harm and apologized to the janitor.

“Definitely, I want my job back,” said Lowe, a day after learning he would be reinstated with no lost pay. He also said he would accept Paul's apology.

“I'm faced with that all the time, people that lie [to] you, people that ridicule you, people that put you down,” Lowe said. “You learn to go on, and you learn to deal with it.”

Maybe next time shredding those sensitive documents might do the trick.

Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution