I Was Fired Today, For My Bumperstickers!!!

Okay people, enough!

HBT has already admitted that she should rethink some of her own behavior and choices and how they may have contributed to the event.

Everything that can be said, has been said. Anything more is just dog-piling. Give the girl some grace for pity's sake.

[edit on 13/5/08 by kosmicjack]

I suspect my post will be lost in the crowd but:

A: "At Will" simply means there is no contractual obligation between the employer and the employee, implicit or otherwise. It means that the employer has no obligation to the employee other than to compensate for services in accordance with local and federal labor laws. It does not mean that that you have no recourse under the law.

B: There is no civil ordinance stating that your bumper sticker is illegal.

C: If the employer is stupid enough to state for the record (say in writing) that you were terminated because of the offensive nature of your bumper sticker - you have a case. It IS that simple. Offensiveness is not a crime.

The employer can STILL terminate you, but he or she must never reference the cause or they can be sued for a myriad of other reasons.

Virtually every state in the union has an office with a title akin to 'Human Rights commission" or some such. They will accept your filing of a case. They will inquire as to the reason for your dismissal. Lacking any legal counsel some employers will 'spill the beans' and admit the true cause. They will be told they have to compensate you for the 'lost time' and they have no choice but to rehire you, after which time they will summarily fire you again -without cause.

Your bumper sticker is your own business, what other people think of it is entirely your own business. Those who want to impose their own mentality to it will ALWAYS seek to 'make you understand' that you are NOT free to say what you want to on your own vehicle, but in all reality THEY are wrong! YOU WILL however, face up to the reality that the consequences of what you say are real and in that, you must always be willing to pay the price.

I wonder if "hotbakedtater" feels like the heat has been on long enough.

Sitting on the hot seat.

Raked over the coals.

Maybe a little "steamed".

Hot under the collar.

Tired of being "grilled".

reply to post by MrPenny


Pretty funny stuff.

Just as a little aside, a bumper sticker that attributes a sexual identity to a baby (gay empryo or gay baby) is just outrageously inappropriate for that kind of environment. I just can't believe the TS naivety.

I am thinking about changing my bumper stickers to more conservative ones. The liberal ones I have are preventing my boss from giving me a raise. All I have to do is pretend to hate muslims and poor people. I work in pediatrics and would never mention pedophiles to anyone, anyway.
Once I told a friend how I adore children. He said to keep it to myself or expect to be labled a pedophile. It is a sad world.

Originally posted by Maxmars
B: There is no civil ordinance stating that your bumper sticker is illegal.

No one has ever said otherwise

terminated because of the offensive nature of your bumper sticker - you have a case. It IS that simple. Offensiveness is not a crime.

Sorry to say but you are incorrect;

Can you really be fired for hitting the Shalimar too hard, or whispering about your boss' comb-over?

The answer: Absolutely - in fact, you can be canned for doing less than that. Generally speaking, “An employer can fire someone for a good reason, a bad reason, or no reason at all," says Kevin Zwetsch, an attorney specializing in employment law.

While this isn't breaking news - so-called “employment at will" has long been the rule in the United States - it inevitably comes as a big surprise to many workers, who tend to believe some kind of workplace bill of rights must apply in such situations.
www.nypost.com...

Say that your boss fires you, so that he can hire his brother instead. Your firing has nothing to do with your age, a disability, or your race, religion, or sex. Firing you is not against the law www.aarp.org...

Your bumper sticker is your own business, what other people think of it is entirely your own business.

Thats 100% correct. But if you bring such items into the workplace (IE a daycare parking lot) Then the employer can and will protect anything he feels is a threat to his business. Which is more valuable? A new hire that can be replaced easily or potentialy many customers who may pull thier kids out of your center?

Seeing that in the parking lot would set off my spidey sence and I would have a chat with the director.

reply to post by earthman4


Why don't you just get a nice car and not bung it all up with tacky bumper stickers in the first place?

Bumper stickers are ugly and make you look like trash. They also give the impression that you are close-minded to opinions other than your own and that you are pigeon-holing yourself into a world view that some may or may not agree with. This could bring you confrontations in life (like your boss not promoting you), or fights in the street when you meet someone with the opposite views on their bumper.

In my country freedom of speech seems to rely on restraint, where I don't push my beliefs and ideas into your face and you respect me enough to do the same.

You guys and your bumper stickers have no respect for other people's opinions and are pushy beyond belief by having the arrogance and general social retardation to think that people appreciate hearing, reading or even caring about what your beliefs are.

[edit on 13-5-2008 by Enrikez]

Dude, honestly I would've fired you even faster. There is a very fine line in America today between pedophiles and the average 'jester'. You never know who is one and who isn't. You are working at a day care, so what makes you think even having the word pedophile on your car is alright? Of course they flipped on you, these are people's children and they think they just hired a person so addicted to child porn that he sports the bumper sticker.

What you need to do is grow up and realize that even though profanity is your right, it is just as much everyones right to judge you negatively for it. It is also their right to get rid of you ASAP for thinking your endangering the welfare of a child. Additionally, there is always a 60-90 probation period with any job. In this period of time they can fire you just because you don't fit in the position. You caught some bad luck because you had profanity on your car. Nobody to blame but yourself and it's not a conspiracy it's the right to choose.

By the way, I would like to add that it IS profanity still and even though it might be a funny joke to you you are still pointing fingers and name calling. I would never let anybody watch my child who jokes about child molestation anyway, and I'm sure I don't speak for only myself.

It's your own fault bub, better hit up the job sites and wash that junk off of your car.

reply to post by blowfishdl


excellent post, I agree 110%.

This just seems so outrageous that I have a hard time believing the TS is serious. Is anyone that oblivious to other people and their feelings and opinions? Can anyone be so wrapped up in themselves that they have zero ability to foresee these types of situations?

Why is it okay for members to personally insult the OP? Ten pages of it. The longer the thread gets the more insulting it has become. Do members feel safety in numbers? Where are the MODs? I think HBT is not the only one revealing her manners or social inclinations in this thread.

Originally posted by kosmicjack
Why is it okay for members to personally insult the OP? Ten pages of it. The longer the thread gets the more insulting it has become. Do members feel safety in numbers? Where are the MODs? I think HBT is not the only one revealing her manners or social inclinations in this thread.

Listen bub..

When you come to a forum like this and share your personal experiences your asking for the opinion of the people viewing and participating in the forums. The outcome isn't always positive, or what you expect to get, but regardless this forum is about freedom of speech and the majority of us don't agree it's any sort of conspiracy. It is America doing what America does, and that's protecting our youth and community at any cost.

reply to post by FredT

Seeing that in the parking lot would set off my spidey sence and I would have a chat with the director.

Excellent point. I wouldn't be a bit surprised if someone had done just that, leading to the firing.

And I am not trying to pile heat on HBT, just trying to point out the error in her thinking so she can learn from it. The real point here is not about whether or not someone can fire her (they can, and that's experience talking), or about free speech (which has consequences, as I mentioned), but about appropriateness and realization that there are others who share this planet with you. I have been an employer and an employee, and that cross-training has taught me valuable lessons about the business world.

I pull a trailer that has the Target logo all over it. I can (and probably will) be fired on the spot should I pull into a WalMart ot a KMart parking lot. It is legal for me to do so, but Target does not think it is appropriate and I can see their point. So if I go to WalMart for something, I have to do it when I am not pulling one of their trailers. Simple. I work for my employer, and in that respect I represent them. It's their business and they set the standards, not me. I am an employee.

When I'm at home, then I can go wherever I want.

TheRedneck

reply to post by kosmicjack


The TS is making an argument that she (I hope she is a she) has the right to make jokes about pedophilia and gay babies while working at a daycare center.

I think that speaks for itself.

I think it should be obvious that the bumper sticker is not declaring the driver a pedophile who supports the "GOP", but rather calling bush and the rest of the GOP pedophiles. But, it seems as if the redhead lady didn't know that. She didnt even know the GOP really is. she probably didnt even know what the real "axis of evil" was.

That is an example of a very ignorant person, getting someone in trouble who actaully cares about the nation and politics. I think there was no reason to fire you, but fair reason to have the sticker removed.

Wow some people's kids.

Anyways, $%@# happens, and you're just going to have to get over it, although it is a prime example of how stupid some people are.

Edit to add:

I think it is safe to say there are closet homosexuals in GOP, considering the guy who got caught recently. Pedophiles, maybe or maybe not, but look at the connection between the Neocons and religion, specifically the vatican and catholics.

Also, this is not necessarily relevant, but I do believe at least in some cases a child can be born gay. It has been proven that there are differences in the brain phisiology of homo vs hetero people (at least in males that i know of) That does not guarentee it was genetics or environment, but we dont know that yet. People only get scared about things like that because of Ignorance.

For the record, not appropriate in that work environment, but no reason to fire HBT when the stickers could easily be removed or a different care driven. Just because she believes in something people are scared of, for example pedophiles in our government or the possibility that sexual disposition may be predisposed, then gets fired for it, reminds of people being imprisoned or killed in the middle ages for disagreeing with the mainstream religion/science

[edit on 13-5-2008 by jmilla]

I agree with KosmicJack...

Do you know how hard it is to open up and throw your personal story out there, to ATS, hoping to get some support or help, or understanding or something?? It is HARD.
Sometimes someone just feels desperate to not be alone, or get some kind of help.

I will admit, I receieved the same thing when I told of a problem I went through. It hurt like hell to be ridiculed, called a hoax, and the thread closed like the whole thing was just not welcome.




Well, OP, please read my post, I guess on page 9. A positive, constructive idea to use after a not so positive experience.

Originally posted by blowfishdl
Listen bub..

LOL! Nice. How old are you?

Originally posted by blowfishdl... but regardless this forum is about freedom of speech and the majority of us don't agree it's any sort of conspiracy.

The irony is hilarious. HBT simply had questions about her own free-speech rights. She didn't sign up for psychoanalysis or character assassination.

The OP has clearly stated that, given the responses she has received, she now sees her actions in a different light. Any more rubbing her nose in it just makes the poster look bad, not HBT.

Great to know that ATS gets off on kicking someone when they're down.


[edit on 13/5/08 by kosmicjack]

Originally posted by jmilla
That is an example of a very ignorant person, getting someone in trouble who actaully cares about the nation and politics. I think there was no reason to fire you, but fair reason to have the sticker removed.

although it is a prime example of how stupid some people are.

No reason to fire her? I'm going to try and not be demeaning to you when I say that I strongly disagree with you and everything you and the TS stands for.

and because you've opened the door of calling people stupid who agree with me that it is extremely inappropriate to have messages like that at a day care:

Here is a prime example of how stupid some people are:

They arrive for their first day of taking care of other people's children thinking they have the right to make jokes about gay babies and pedophilia.

Now that is really dumb.





[edit on 13-5-2008 by Enrikez]

[edit on 13-5-2008 by Enrikez]

[edit on 13-5-2008 by Enrikez]

I would have fired her too, but not for having retarded bumper stickers.

People that go out of their way to show a point of view simply aren't needed in my business.

Think the parents pulling into the parking lot would have felt pretty good knowing their little crotch fruit was about to be placed in the care of someone who wants an embryo to grow up and be gay? It brings a negative view of the daycare, and they had every right to fire her.

For those who think it is a 1st Amendment issue, please keep in mind that the 1st Amendment only prevents government from infringing upon your speech, not private businesses.

Originally posted by slackerwire
Think the parents pulling into the parking lot would have felt pretty good knowing their little crotch fruit was about to be placed in the care of someone who wants an embryo to grow up and be gay?

LOLOL ROFLROFL hahahahaha

Seriously, this is NOT a one-liner. hahahaha
It's an army of laughing smilies.

reply to post by kosmicjack


If you post a story like this on ATS dont get your feelings hurt when people give their honest opinion. You cant just yell "stop, I dont like this thread because everyone disagrees with me!"