Long Time Santa Gets Booted from Mall

[ElfBot]

Santa just got the boot. And not just any Santa.Michael Graham has been Santa at Tysons Corner Center for so long that many who visited him when they were young have brought their own children to experience his magic: a real snowy beard, a twinkle in his eye, a way with children that conveyed the [...]ShareThis (http://sharethis.com/item?&wp=2.6&publisher=ee0b781a-767e-43ae-a6ef-e4da67662331&title=Long+Time+Santa+Gets+Booted+fro m+Mall&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdefendingsanta.com%2F%3Fp% 3D25)


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[Sunshine73]

How awful!! :(

[snowytree]

Sounds to me like they didn't want to pay this Santa, so they got someone else that would do it for cheaper! They may just end up losing in the end though, considering that this guy has been Santa for 18 years and people know him well.

[Mumof2]

they want a cheap version of this great Santa.

Ok I take that back!!! maybe he's not so great.

[joyful]

Wow I didn't know mall Santa's earned so much money.

It's not right what they did and I hope this guy finds a better position that he's happy doing and maybe the mall will learn a lesson if the people band together.

[JanaBanana]

Gosh how sad :( Sounds like something off of Miracle On 34th St. Poor guy

[Jeff Westover]

I'm getting a lot of mail about this one since the story posted. Evidently the news reports got it wrong and he was only pulling in about $8k a season for the Santa gig...they are starting a letter writing campaign to the CEO of the property developer.

I hate to be pessimistic but they are wasting their time. The very last thing a mall developer cares about is the pubic. What they care about is the contract they gave to the new photography folks because it makes THEM more money than the old one. I'm sure what they got paid by the new photog more than pays for what they lost in canning the old Santa.

[JanaBanana]

Yeah I know. Its sad, when people speak up for a person, it usually goes on deaf ears. I dont see this man getting hired back. HOPEFULLY he gets hired by someone else soon. Sounds like he is going to be missed. Do you have a photo of him? I want to see him all decked out in his suit.

[RadioJonD]

http://www.last.fm/music/Rosco+Gordon/_/Booted

[JanaBanana]

lol! good one

[Wenceslaus]

The Washington Times: Michael Graham as Santa Claus (http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/oct/22/175-an-hour-santa-sues-to-get-job-back/).

[Jeff Westover]

FRAUD!!!

This Santa should be beaten with his bells and fed to the reindeer. He was getting $175 PER HOUR. No wonder he got canned.

I don't blame him for getting that kind of money, if he can get it.

But like Nick Trolli and the other con artists at ORBS who claim to be "professional" Santas this dude hired a PR firm who planted all these stories in the media. And we all ate it up.

Turns out this is a whine because he can't work at market wages. If he had a real contract, he would still be working. But obviously, the terms of that contract meant that they could get rid of him at any time. So he turned to the media and perpetuated his fraud on everyone.

What a total slime this Santa is.

http://defendingsanta.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/shamelessmichael-300x171.jpg

[trackrebel]

was he just fired....I mean they told him and he immediately has to go? over here most jobs have some type of securance that when You are fired....You have at least 2 or 3 months at this working place and time to find another job....of cousre if You steal or fight at the jobplace....those 3 month will not be granteod and You get booted right away.

I understand 175Dollars is a lot for an hours work...but to kick someone like that is just plain cold

[Wenceslaus]

His employment as Santa Claus was seasonal, and the season had not begun yet (Santa Claus does not appear in shopping malls until November). In America, employers can dismiss an employee — immediately — for any reason, as long as they are not discriminating against the employee based on race, gender, age, disability, religion, etc.

The only exception is if the employee has an employment contract (including a labor union contract) with the employer requiring the employer to give him or her advance notice, and/or a dismissal payoff amount (sometimes called a "golden parachute"). Employers usually choose a dismissal payoff, as they don't want a disgruntled employee hanging around.

US $175 = € 137

That's a ridiculous wage; he probably made more per hour than the lawyer he's hired.

[trackrebel]

alright, just read Your post Jeff....if his contract was like that...well...bad luck...175 per hour is crazy...I think my fiance doesn´t earn that much in 3 days...

[Jeff Westover]

alright, just read Your post Jeff....if his contract was like that...well...bad luck...175 per hour is crazy...I think my fiance doesn´t earn that much in 3 days...

$175 per hour is criminal in my book. This man's job is to greet children and give them love and tender care. It is an HONOR to do that. I'm all for a man making a fair wage but that's just greedy and obscene. I feel nothing but disgust for this profiteering slimeball.

He's a contract worker, whose contract was cancelled. Whether or not that was fair depends on the term of the contract. The first thing he did was contact a PR firm and use the good name of Santa Claus to drum up sympathy. What a complete and total slimeball.

[trackrebel]

I agree...it´s a shame the way he reacts