‘Thissss is why I take so many days off’: Man who’s worked at company for 42 years gets barbecue thrown for him before retirement
John Bartlett is a septuagenarian and recent retiree, but a TikTok documenting the man's last day at work, and lackluster send-off, broke hearts across the internet. Thankfully, the video has inspired thousands of people to band together to give John a truly memorable retirement.
@m3nta11y1ll1 This was sad to see him leave with just a piece of paper saying he worked for 42 years.
♬ come into my arms - november ultra
John's last day at the unnamed company was filmed by his co-worker Soniah (@m3nta11y1ll1), who showed John working on the day before his official retirement.
"Today is my co-worker's last day," she wrote in the video's text overlay. "He worked for this company for 42 years making minimum wage. The company only threw him a barbecue and gave him a certificate."
After describing his subpar send-off, Soniah continued, "He takes the bus and BART [Bay Area Rapid Transit] to get here everyday on time. He's 70+. He loves working here so much he didn't want to retire."
She concluded, "Don't be a slave to your job. Thank you John for your loyalty."
Soniah posted the video to her TikTok account on September 29. Since then, it has received over 9.4 million views and Soniah has used the video's popularity to start a GoFundMe campaign on John's behalf that has raised $89,220 to assist him in his retirement, far surpassing it's goal of $28,000.
"His go fund me up to almost $70k. There are still good people in this world ... Happy retirement John!" one person wrote in the comment section of the TikTok post.
Another viewer emphasized the importance of not being a slave to your job, writing, "Thissss is why I take so many days off and restroom breaks and hide as much as I can at work."
"NEVER prioritize your job just fulfill your responsibilities and keep it going treat it like a job (just a way to make money)," another added.
Many of the commenters reached out to ask how they could help.
"Hey I live in the Bay Area I would love to plan something and throw him a huge retirement party as a community is there a way we can put it together," one local wrote.
"Can we get his Venmo or put money towards a nice dinner or something? He deserves better!!" another added.
Soniah has posted several updates about John and the page of the GoFundMe for his retirement. She has also revealed that she was briefly afraid she would lose her own job due to the video's popularity.
“If there’s one thing that I could ask for, if I do get fired, please book me,” she asked viewers.
“If you guys want to hire me … I have a team so we’ll come and rock your party and I’ll work for my money,” she said, displaying a screenshot of her self-owned bartending and catering service called Bay Area Mobile Mixology.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Soniah via TikTok for further comment.
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