Man fired for skipping work to watch the birth of his son gets outpouring of community support

A Massachusetts man was fired this week after skipping work to watch the birth of his son -- but he's getting an outpouring of community support to help him cope.

The Concord Monitor reports that Lamar Austin was fired from his job as a part-time security guard -- where he was expected to be on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week -- after he missed work to be with his family while his wife, Lindsay Austin, gave birth to their newborn son on New Year's Day.

However, the Monitor says that Austin, who is a military veteran and father of four, has received three job offers since it first reported about his termination from Salerno Protective Services.

After hearing about Austin's firing, Denis Beaudoin, the business manager from the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers in Concord, decided to offer Austin the chance to apply for an apprenticeship, as Austin had told the Monitor that he was interested in getting into electrical work.

“I know how valuable family time is, and if you’re a union member we incorporate that, we understand that, and we don’t penalize you for that,” Beaudoin told the paper.