Hero Safeway Worker Who Defended Woman Reinstated
DEL REY OAKS, Monterey County (CBS SF) -- A Monterey County Safeway worker suspended from his job after he defended a pregnant woman from an assault by her boyfriend has been reinstated with back pay after a huge outcry in the highly-publicized case.
Meat clerk Ryan Young intervened when he saw the man pushing and then kicking the woman who is six months pregnant at a Safeway in Del Rey Oaks on April 21.
The announcement by Safeway comes after a public-relations nightmare for the Pleasanton-based grocery chain in the wake of the suspension. Petition-hosting site Change.org said it received nearly 200,000 online signatures urging Safeway to reinstate Young.
In a statement contained in a press release from Change.org, Young said he was grateful for the support. "Knowing that I had all these people standing behind me and that I wasn't alone really helped me through this difficult time, " said Young.
United Food and Commercial Workers Local 5 Ron Lynd said Safeway managers agreed Wednesday let Young go back to work.
The union had filed a grievance on behalf of Young, who also was commended by the Del Ray Oaks' police chief and applauded by Monterey County residents for stepping in to defend the pregnant customer on April 21.
Until Tuesday, Safeway had defended its decision, saying that Young was suspended for unspecified actions caught on a store surveillance video during the confrontation.
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