Dedicated thrift store employee and longtime volunteer fired after false accusation of theft
Pay attention to the ingredients of this story, which match with other stories that survivors have shared with us:
MCC professionalizes its workplaces
it moves away from a human, volunteer-led ethos
vulnerable employees are pushed aside and treated as expendable
no proper process or investigation takes place when there is an accusation of theft
MCC brings in people from another office to do the actual firing
they use an NDA to silence a financially vulnerable person
they offer far less severance than what the person is legally entitled to
when evidence emerges that the accusation was false, there is no apology or reinstatement.
In consultation with this survivor, we have left out numerous details to protect her identity, including the date of the firing and the location of the thrift store.
In her childhood her family was helped by MCC aid.
In her later adult life she found joy in volunteering at a local MCC thrift store, eventually taking on a paid position. It was very enjoyable and fulfilling for her to work closely with volunteers and to show kindness to the clientele that came to the store.
Image from MCC Thrift Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/mccthrift
Over time, she noticed changes in the store. It was no longer volunteer run. Prices rose. Managers were needed to run the store. Staff were no longer welcome at board meetings. There was a general move away from serving less advantaged local people.
One day, she was falsely accused of stealing a small amount of money. No one provided proof to support the allegation. A delegation came from the regional MCC office to fire her. She was given a non-disclosure agreement to sign and was offered a small amount of severance. She obtained legal advice that confirmed that this was not in keeping with the actual amount required by law.
She was devastated and suffered a mental breakdown. She stopped attending church. It took at least a year for her to recover enough to return to society. At some point a friend told her the store had found that she was not guilty of stealing money. But no one ever apologized or offered to reinstate her in her position.
No…
not everyone wins
(despite this messaging from https://mccthrift.com/)
She wanted to write the story down, but it was too painful. For years, she put the story out of her mind, until a friend told her about the #stopmccabuse campaign and she eventually got connected with MAST. Today, she says, “I hope [my story] can help others not have this kind of experience or help others who have had a bad experience too.”
Looking for a next step to take in response? Wear a teal ribbon next time you shop at your local MCC thrift store, and write to MCC to tell them that you are doing so in solidarity with MCC Thrift staff who have been mistreated. Share your concern that abusive employment practices undermine the valuable contributions of MCC Thrift to local communities and to the world.
Check out our list of ways to get involved (wear a teal ribbon - speak out publicly - sign the petition or write a letter - ask for an external investigation - support survivors - coordinate your efforts with others - educate yourself and your congregation about institutional abuse dynamics).