Fired for a button he wore (homes, schools, safe)

[Big House]

Originally Posted by seain dublin

My mother in law was in a Assisted Living facilty last year and a CNA was fired for wearing an Obama button.

We got to know a lot of the staff and they were a good group of gals. Didn't know the one who was fired but thought how extreme.

They couldn't just say "please keep your views to yourself"????

FL is a right to work state, yes all employment is "at will " these days. But here they don't do the verbal warning, followed by a written warning, and then the termination.

They just let them go.

They also don't seem to know what severance pay is after a layoff. Seen on the news several times workers are laid off with no severance here.

You can be let go at the drop of a hat.

And being a "right to work" state you create these types of situations.

Someone who has a little control over people who is on power trip has Carte Blanche here to do whatever they want.

I understand severance pay if you are let go, but only if you have been with the company for a number of years. This should be described as a policy in the employment handbook, which everyone should receive (in a large or small company). If someone has just been employed for less than a year, I see no reason for severance. The qualification for severance can be scaled as well - there are thousands of options and job positions that do or do not qualify, as well as duration of employment, etc.... I also understand the right to work, and at-will employment, and I agree with most of it.

Employees here also quit at the drop of a hat, sometimes just because someone offered them a couple more bucks a week. The employee loyalty and work ethic has gone down hill. The two may very well be connected, but to burden the employer constantly is not right especially when the employees can be antagonists, pressing religious beliefs, or doing or saying other things that are not in the interest of the employer who pays them.

I also understand that coporate policy must be enforced universally or it can be disected by attorney's who look to profit from what would normally be considered tolarance or some other minor waiverance of policy. But wearing a patriotic button, that is a bit overboard. Reading a bible - silently in the break room should be acceptable. If he is preaching, and intrupting the concentration of workers during or off the break - then I can understand the dismissal. But on the surface, the way the article is written it seems extreme to me. I think that if the article is framed, or biased, for one reason or another, which is highly possible, then that is wront as well.

[seain dublin]

Originally Posted by Big House

I understand severance pay if you are let go, but only if you have been with the company for a number of years. This should be described as a policy in the employment handbook, which everyone should receive (in a large or small company). If someone has just been employed for less than a year, I see no reason for severance. The qualification for severance can be scaled as well - there are thousands of options and job positions that do or do not qualify, as well as duration of employment, etc.... I also understand the right to work, and at-will employment, and I agree with most of it.

Employees here also quit at the drop of a hat, sometimes just because someone offered them a couple more bucks a week. The employee loyalty and work ethic has gone down hill. The two may very well be connected, but to burden the employer constantly is not right especially when the employees can be antagonists, pressing religious beliefs, or doing or saying other things that are not in the interest of the employer who pays them.

I also understand that coporate policy must be enforced universally or it can be disected by attorney's who look to profit from what would normally be considered tolarance or some other minor waiverance of policy. But wearing a patriotic button, that is a bit overboard. Reading a bible - silently in the break room should be acceptable. If he is preaching, and intrupting the concentration of workers during or off the break - then I can understand the dismissal. But on the surface, the way the article is written it seems extreme to me. I think that if the article is framed, or biased, for one reason or another, which is highly possible, then that is wront as well.

I'm talking about companies that have been on the news in Florida who shut their doors or had a reduction in the workforce and long time employees were given NO severance pay.

Other than Florida I have never heard of that. The norm is one weeks severance for every year worked.

As an example a plant in Polk County closed and employees some of them had worked 20 and 30 yrs and they were let go and got nothing.

In regards to the situation I mentioned they should have asked her to remove the button. They fired her and the last I heard she was going to try and sue the assisted living facility.

What could have been easily resolved now becomes a problem, it does tie into the right to work mindset.

I have run across many people here who are even afraid to speak up for themselves for fear of losing their jobs.

They let things go like not getting breaks they're entitled to for fear of the backlash it might cause.

We used to eat at a place where the owner wouldn't let the servers eat a a meal or sit down, even when it was slow.

It is like something out of the dark ages.

[Big House]

Originally Posted by seain dublin

I'm talking about companies that have been on the news in Florida who shut their doors or had a reduction in the workforce and long time employees were given NO severance pay.

Other than Florida I have never heard of that. The norm is one weeks severance for every year worked.

As an example a plant in Polk County closed and employees some of them had worked 20 and 30 yrs and they were let go and got nothing.

In regards to the situation I mentioned they should have asked her to remove the button. They fired her and the last I heard she was going to try and sue the assisted living facility.

What could have been easily resolved now becomes a problem, it does tie into the right to work mindset.

I have run across many people here who are even afraid to speak up for themselves for fear of losing their jobs.

They let things go like not getting breaks they're entitled to for fear of the backlash it might cause.

We used to eat at a place where the owner wouldn't let the servers eat a a meal or sit down, even when it was slow.

It is like something out of the dark ages.

I worked for both great owners and the type you just described. I stayed longer and made more money for the businesses that treated me well. Sometimes I didn't make as much working for them as I should. Eventually, I started my own business, and remembered the lessons I learned. I was still detail oriented, and pressed for high performance all the time. I paid my people very well, and gave them great benefits as well. I wish that business owners would operate the way I did, and could learn from the lessons of others.

You can't please everyone, people come and go, and employees always tend to believe they have contributed in bigger ways, and are worth more than they really are, and vice versa, business owners usually believe the employees don't do enough and that they are the sole reason for the businesses success or failures. Its not. There needs to be some reasonable-ness from both parties.

At first I didn't believe that business owners were so petty - in the real world. It is a case of abuse of power in the work place for such petty firings, and intolarance.

[kbuild]

Freedom of speech and freedom of religion last time I checked... or has that changed also?

[tommy-105]

Originally Posted by kbuild

Freedom of speech and freedom of religion last time I checked... or has that changed also?

Home Depot isn't a democracy. Try walking in there and talking about a joining a union.

[kbuild]

Unions, that is totally different subject...

[tommy-105]

Originally Posted by kbuild

Unions, that is totally different subject...

Lol

[MrsTommy]

I seriously doubt if he was wearing a button that said "Allah Akbar" or reading the Koran at lunch time that there would be any outrage at all, except maybe from the ACLU. Everybody is for freedom of speech and freedom of religion...as long as it's their speech and their religion.

First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out--
because I was not a communist;
Then they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out--
because I was not a socialist;
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out--
because I was not a trade unionist;
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out--
because I was not a Jew;
Then they came for me--
and there was no one left to speak out for me.

And yes...I'm aware the above applies to government and not private companies! Just something to keep in mind when people start spouting about "freedoms".

[Big House]

Originally Posted by kbuild

Unions, that is totally different subject...

Unions are good and bad in a lot of respects! My personal opinion is that they are bad for business! They have gone too far and interfere with production so that sooner or later the business where they are unionized becomes weak and ultimately fails serving no one. Pensions get wiped out, and poor investments made on behalf of the workers, while a few at the top of them prosper. Intially they help the workers, but almost always they become obstacles to the betterment of all.

[Lilybeans]

He wasn't fired for wearing a button. He was fired for not doing what he was told- to remove it. Pretty simple to me really. You want to keep your job, you do what the boss tells you to do.