AMHERST - Michelle Hicks is so thankful for a community that rallied behind her husband after he was fired by a plumbing and heating supply company soon after he returned to work from cancer surgery last year.
Without that support, she and Mark McIntyre never would have been able to take Emco to task the way they did after McIntyre was called into the boss' office and informed he was being relieved of his job for business reasons.
"I think it's very important to thank all of those who supported us," said Hicks. "There were more than 800 people that were part of the Facebook campaign who wrote wonderful comments of support. People in town put signs in their windows. The support in Amherst was overwhelming and shows how people will stand up for one of their own when an injustice has been done."
Hicks also felt the need to go public with the settlement so to give closure to all of those who supported them. The support makes her proud to live in Amherst and feels the company saw the mounting pressure from the community and decided to settle.
"I think it played a part in their wanting to settle this," she said. "I like to think they were impacted and felt the message. Mark is a longtime resident of Amherst and did so much in the community."
Hicks said she and her 52-year-old husband are looking forward to moving on with their lives. She is continuing in her job at Indian and Northern Affairs while Mark, who got good news recently in that he's completely cancer-free, is looking for work.
While they threatened legal action against the company, Hicks and McIntyre never filed court papers and lawyers for both sides came to an agreement last October that awarded him six months' pay.
As part of the agreement, McIntyre signed a confidentiality agreement and the company agreed to pay her not to talk about the settlement. She never received the money and feels the company broke the agreement and is talking, mainly to thank the community effort that supported them and to urge people not to forget what happened.
"We became aware through some of their customers that the company started disclosing that a settlement had been reached and felt it was their opportunity to contact customers and say that Mark misinterpreted or misunderstood what happened. They were almost putting it back on him and making it appear as though they did nothing wrong," said Hicks. "To us, that was a slap in the face."
Hicks said she watched her husband go into work on weekends and go above and beyond for the company and for contractors and was angered he was treated that way after battling bladder cancer.
McIntyre said he was floored when he was walked to the door after being told his employment with the company was over. He had never had any performance issues during his 2 1/2 years and always had high reviews..
She feels his experience hit home with a lot of people who felt it could have been them. At the same time, she also feels that if people don't remain vigilant it could happen again to someone else.
A person who answered the phone at EMCO on Thursday said there would be no comment coming from the company on the matter.
dcole@amherstdaily.com
