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Paramedics fired after allegedly telling strikers to ‘get a job’ from rig

A protester claimed the paramedics used the ambulance’s loudspeaker to yell at fast food workers while they protested for better wages

Update July 22, 2020: The two paramedics accused of telling striking fast food workers to “get a job” through their ambulance loudspeaker have been fired.

FirstCare Ambulance told WREG in a statement Tuesday, “The behavior of these individuals is in direct conflict with our company values and their employment has been terminated.”

Original report:

By Laura French

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Two Tennessee paramedics are accused of yelling “go get a job” at fast food workers on strike through their ambulance loudspeaker on Monday.

The strikers were protesting in front of a McDonald’s in Memphis when one of the people attending the protest, Torrey Harris, says the FirstCare Ambulance medics drove past them in their rig and made the comment over the PA system, according to WREG.

Harris, who is a human resources administrator for Shelby County and is running to become a state representative, according to his Facebook page, followed and confronted the medics.

Video of the verbal confrontation shows the medics denying they drove by the strikers, but one of the paramedics, Mitchell Lott, later wrote an apology on Facebook, saying, “Torrey and I spoke on the phone just now, i wanted to apologize to him and to each one of you i offended by the foolish comment. I did not know what the event was about, therefore making that statement is inexcusable,” according to WREG.

The strikers were calling for $15 per hour wages, the ability to form unions and racial equality, organizers said.

Harris said he did not want the paramedics to lose their jobs and that he hopes they learn from the incident.

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