A good deed may have cost a suspended Verizon worker three weeks of pay, but thanks to grateful neighbors, he will end up getting more than the $4,650 he would have been paid. Maurice German was suspended by Verizon after he used his bucket truck to rescue a cat that was stuck on the top of a utility pole for nearly 12 hours in the Port Richmond neighborhood of Philadelphia.
Neighbors recorded as German jumped into the bucket and raised it to meet "Princess Momma" at the top of the power line. He secured the cat and returned it to its owners. When Verizon learned what German did, he was suspended for using his truck in a prohibited area.
"We take no joy when our employees face consequences related to their job duties. We are, however, fully committed and responsible for keeping our employees and customers safe.” Verizon spokesperson Rich Young explained. “For safety reasons, our trucks and related equipment are not intended to be used in the area in which he was operating, specifically around electrical wires. While our actions may not be popular, he potentially put his life and those around him in jeopardy."
Neighbors decided to set up a GoFundMe page to raise enough money to cover his lost wages. They surpassed the goal of $4,650 in just two days and raised a total of $7,210 for German. A second page managed to raise $3,395 and that money has already been sent to German.