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"Miss Betty" Is Back On The Job At UM

MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Students at the University of Miami fought to bring back one of their favorite workers on after she was, in their opinion, unfairly fired.

Fifty three year old cafeteria worker Betty Asbury, better known as "Miss Betty" to the students, was terminated on October 10th. After an internal investigation and a campaign by the students Chartwells, the company which operates the food service program at the dining hall, offered Asbury her job back.

On Wednesday, Asbury returned to work at the Hecht-Stanford Dining Hall.

"The Lord gave me another chance," said Asbury. "It wasn't a man, it was God."

Asbury said she was fired from her job as a cashier in the dining hall after a man walked past her with paying for a breakfast which cost less than seven dollars. Asbury said she simply didn't see him.

Her termination shocked students and some rose up in action.

"We were outraged when we heard that," said Phillip Schwind. "This is not a reason to fire a cashier for years in this community who is so beloved."

Schwind, a grad student, started a Facebook page and petition on Change.org. As of Tuesday night, nearly four thousand students signed for "Miss Betty."

Asbury said she's now working in the dining hall working at the salad bar. In addition to getting her job back, Asbury said she will be getting three weeks of back pay.

"I want to thank all the students, the students at the University of Miami, the community, my co-workers for supporting me," said Asbury.

But some students said re-instating "Miss Betty" isn't entirely a victory. They want to see more food service workers with Chartwells treated fairly.

"In order to change this, we need a union," said Schwind, "A union means these workers can get together and negotiate a contract with the company."

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