Sometimes the job gets to the best of workers, especially when the job requires dealing with the public, and among the public are more than a few very difficult customers. I've been there.
Yesterday morning, Steven Slater, a flight attendant at Jet Blue Airline, came to the point when he said enough is enough and became an instant Internet folk hero.
Who hasn't had days like Steven Slater and who, working in the service field, haven't had to deal with a difficult customer or two and wanted to pull a Steven-Slater?
The Associated Press reported that a difficult passenger defied requests to stay seated, then accidentally hit Mr. Slater in the head with her luggage. "When the flight was still waiting to take off from Pittsburgh, two female passengers got into an argument over space in the overhead bins. That's when Slater was struck in the head. The dispute flared up again after the plane landed in New York when one of the women, who had been asked to gate-check her bag, was enraged that it wasn't immediately available.The woman was outraged and cursed him out a great deal. Slater addressed the passengers on the intercom. "Those of you who have shown dignity and respect these last 20 years, thanks for a great ride." Mr. Slater had a few choice words for the passenger who cursed him, then he took two beers from the galley and exited the plane using the emergency slide. This was a no-no. He was arrested;(since released), and has been arraigned on charges that seem bogus.' But might not be, depending the spin the Port Authority puts on the manner of his exit. The charges are criminal mischief, reckless endangerment and trespassing
The authorities have put the word out overnight that Mr. Slater is facing serious charges.They emphasize that pulling exit (a plane's) chute is serious The authorities certainly don't want workers pulling a Steven-Slaters.
Anyway, Mister Slater seemed relieved to having quit his job, and he has gathered many thousands of fans on Facebook from folks who understand what drove him to the point of quitting his job in such a dramatic fashion.