KIRKWOOD, Mo. - The surveillance video is hard to watch, but Becky Foth said she wants people to see the moment one of her employees grabs her by the neck and slams her into the condiments at the Kirkwood Chipotle.
"It's scary, you know, you can't react,” Becky.
That's because Becky is the boss. She said after the attack, she locked herself in the office and called 911. Kirkwood police said their officers arrested that employee and she is facing charges.
"It's one of the most neglected situations I've been in,” Becky said.
Becky said the attack is a symptom of what she calls a hostile work environment at the store.
"They're putting my life at risk because of their decisions,” she said of her supervisors.
She said the store is understaffed and its people are overworked.
"Three months in a row with no days off, I'm required to work 55 hours a week and I've been working 90,” she said.
And she said that employee who attacked her wasn't even supposed to be working. She'd quit the day before.
"And everybody else gets to quit and come back because my supervisor does it behind by back and allows it against my word,” she said.
After she complained to her boss, she learned Tuesday she was fired.
“The reason they gave me for the termination was that I cursed at my supervisor the day after the attack,” she said.
But Becky doesn't buy that explanation.
"I feel like right now I'm being retaliated against because I let my boss know, I'm calling his boss,” she said.
Laurie Schalow, the chief communications officer for Chipotle, told 5 On Your Side, “We offered the manager support immediately after the event and have followed up to ensure the worker's compensation process is underway. Her departure from Chipotle is not related to this event.”
