Man loses job after missing work for son's birth

CONCORD, N.H. — A Concord man is celebrating the birth of his son, but at the same time he's now going to have to look for work after being fired for attending his child's birth.

Lamar Austin missed work over the weekend to be with his wife as she gave birth to their son Cainan, The Concord Monitor reported.

Austin used to work for Salerno Protective Services. He was on a 90-day new hire probationary period as a part-time security guard and was on call 24/7.

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But Austin told the paper he was not able to do one shift that he was asked to cover in December because of a doctor's appointment for his wife. He then missed shifts Friday and Saturday while his wife was in labor, The Monitor reported.

Cainan was born Sunday morning, but not before Austin received a 1 a.m. text message telling him he was fired.

The paper reported that Austin was warned that if he didn't report to work Saturday at 8 a.m. that he would be fired.

Austin decided he wasn't going to fight the company's position.

But the situation facing Austin and his now former employer is legal. New Hampshire is considered an "at-will" state, meaning that an employer can fire an employee for almost any reason. Legal experts told The Monitor that being fired for missing work for a child's birth is not a a reason that could be legally questioned.

While being out of work is relatively recent for the new father, the family has received help from his church, the Easter Seals and veterans programs.

Austin served 3 1/2 years in the Army.

He has also received three job offers since news of his firing was published. Austin said he may want to go into the electrical field and has been offered a chance to apply for an apprenticeship, The Monitor reported.

Cox Media Group