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On June 10 the Federal Labour Court in Erfurt reinstated a cashier who was fired on disciplinary from a Kaiser's store in Berlin at the beginning of 2008. "Emmely", as the media has named the woman, had worked in Kaisers for 31 years. On Jan. 12, 2008, two bottle deposit slips worth 48 euro cents and 82 euro cents were found in the store and turned in. The store accused Emmely of having pocketed the slips before cashing them in while making purchases a few weeks later and fired her.

Kaiser's offered no real proof that Emmely was guilty; she was apparently turned in by a co-worker. Emmely suspects she was fired because of her union activity. She participated in strikes in 2007. "The strikes were the reason why they wanted to get rid of me," she said, in the Süddeutsche Zeitung.

Emmely lost her bid to be reinstated twice but has finally won her appeal. The case became a major story in Germany where many saw this as evidence of social injustice. Emmely was fired for a very minor incident which few people would seriously condemn. On the other hand, bankers and politicians have been responsible for much more serious theft but have been left unharmed.

Unionists and other groups formed the Solidarity with Emmely Committee and called for protests and a boycott of Kaisers. Such protests have been going on sporadically throughout Germany for the length of the case.

At the court hearing, judge Burghard Kreft gave the opinion that the punishment did not fit the crime and it would have been enough to give the cashier a warning.

On the day of the court case in Erfurt, there was also a solidarity picket in fron of Kaiser's in Berlin. People from the FAU Berlin, who were part of the Solidarity Committee, also took part. Both FAU Berlin and Emmely won their court cases on the same day, so it was a happy day for the local workers' movement.