Home Depot Employee Fired for Wearing "God.." Button

Facts of the case from the OP are:

1. Employee was wearing apparently a non-approved pin for over a year.
2. Employee begins bringing bible to read during lunch hour.
3. Employee is asked to remove pin since it does not comply.
4. Employee does not and is fired for non-compliance of uniform code.
5. Employee is going to attempt to sue HD.


I think employee is wrong for not complying with the uniform code. I think there is more to the story that is not in the OP that triggered HD to say its not appropriate. Its only speculation as to what that is. You might be able to get away with something for a week or two before an authority figure sees it and asks to remove it. Not for a year. There was a trigger.

That trigger could have been a crackdown from regional/area management on uniform violations. Who knows it may have not even been directly related to this employee. His pin could have been a casualty of someone in another HD 300 miles away doing something much worse. Could have been a disgruntled customer who did it to get back at the kid who wouldn't let them use an expired offer or something. Could have been an employee who had a problem with him. He could have been brow-beating employees/customers with his religion.

The assumption that he was pushing his religion on others is pretty laughable since we have nothing to support that claim. Its speculation just like the other choices I mentioned. I think its actually more likely he is pushing a pledge of alliegance thing, and the punctuation of that phrase. When it was implemented it was "one nation under God, indivisible". Lately it has been "one nation, under God, indivisible" My dad was there and he remembers it and always says it that way(he is a school teacher).

Oh, and this is nothing like the hotel guy. He set his rules which required a language to be spoken, but the name thing set it way apart from the Home Depot thing.

 

Culture is not a "belief system". It is the all-encompassing scope of learned human behavior patterns. You and your typical liberal ilk think that you are so independently minded, but you are far, far from it yet to self-involved to recognize it. Liberal prejudice - it is hypocrisy and ignorance defined.

 

He does have the right. It's called free speech.

The cops can't come in and throw this guy in jail for breaking the law.

You don't sign away your rights of free speech when you get employed. What you say, however, can get you fired. Breaking a contract and breaking the law are 2 different things.

 

Oh, Christians most certainly exist. Since to be a Christian is to strive to live a life like Christ. Notice I didnt say live like Christ. Nobody can, but the goal is to pursue that type of life and to honor his teachings. Sure, there are many things that have changed in the 2K years since He was crucified, but the goals are the same. If you do what Christ says in the bible and try to emulate that to the best of your abilities, that makes you a Christian. Trouble is there are way too many using Christ pushing their own agendas or even worse not caring.

I think a lot of Christians(not necessarily you Cavevato) could heed the words of Toby Mac from his songs, Diverse City, One World, Lose my Soul, and City on our Knees.

 

are you calling me ignorant, *******?

 

Actually I wonder what would be considered worse:

Wearing a pin but only talking about it with folks who bring it up(thus being invited to speak about it)

Not wearing a pin but browbeating customers and employees about his faith.

 

You obviously got my point but fair enough. So the guy is most likely going to sue Home Depot based on his free speech rights being violated which we both agree they were not, yes?

 

Yes I am. And you are doing a good job showing it off. Thank you, tolerant liberal.

 

I always thought company uniforms were not part of that free speech though. So I dont think he has much to stand on. A necklace or ring that isnt part of the uniform but does not cover up any of the uniform would be a differnt story I think.

 

Come on, man. Are you really being serious??

Your nonsensical hypothetical is kind of like this one:

My boss asks me to have a report ready to submit by Friday. I say I don’t have to have it ready by Friday because I don’t have to do anything he says. When he asks me why not, I tell him because what if he asked me to murder my family? Would I do what he says then? No? So why should I do what he says now?

It just doesn’t make sense.

Oh, and an employer telling an employee how to dress has nothing to do with restricting his freedom of speech. What are we, like 16 and in high school again?

 

hmmm. considering you don't know me at all, i would say your presumptions about me show that you have no interest in the truth but rather what you want to believe. that, you pimply little dork, is ignorance.

 

answer the question you yellow-bellied taliban lover

 

ANSWER THE QUESTION.

EDIT: LOL, great minds think alike, I see.

 

let's make love

 

Oh I completely agree that the case should be thrown out and he should be forced to pay court fees, etc.

I don't think he understands the concept of free speech.

Very ridiculous suit. I can say whatever I want but if I go to work and start dropping n-bombs, I'm going to get fired. Having a right does not mean there are NO repercussions for exercising that right in an inappropriate fashion.

Anyone who refuses to take off a frickin' pin when asked by his boss is pretty much unemployable in my book. Who the hell would want to hire a guy like that?

However - I don't see this as an indictment on Christians in general though (as some of the tone on the thread implies). I think someone even mentioned that it was a Christian who made the policy.

 

he wasn't fired for wearing the pin but for refusing to take it off. what could have been construed as a fashion statement evolved into a political one when he wouldn't abide by the dress code.

 

Telling an employee to wear a uniform does not violate free speech at all anyways. The employee has the right to quit the job. The company has the right to fire people. If the company made an ex-employee wear the uniform AFTER termination, only then would it be a violation. Just having the right to free speech does NOT mean you are to suffer no repercussion at all from saying bad stuff.

The guy has nothing to stand on at all and is just making Christians patriots look bad.

 

As usual...



Dodge, duck, dip, dive, and dodge.

Anything to avoid answering a yes or no question. Your position is laughable, as is your reasoning. Who let Trader Jorge back in here?

Just to be clear: according to Websters:

religion
1a : the state of a religious
1b : the service and worship of God or the supernatural (2) : commitment or devotion to religious faith or observance
2: a personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices
3 : scrupulous conformity : conscientiousness
4 : a cause, principle, or system of beliefs held to with ardor and faith

As you can see, NOT ONE of these things is compulsory. You CHOOSE to worship. You CHOOSE your commitment, devotion, and oservances. You CHOOSE your attitudes, beliefs, and practices. You CHOOSE conformity and conscientiousness. You CHOOSE your causes, principles, beliefs and, yes, faith. None of these things are genetic. They are CHOICES. Many from your culture or tradition may practice a certain religion, but in the end, you CHOOSE to conform or not.

This guy CHOSE to foist his religion upon others. Therefore, he was shown the door. Good for Home Depot for standing up for those who want true religious freedom, which includes freedom FROM religion.

So, once again, stop dodging and answer:

Do you choose to be born Hispanic? YES or NO

Do you choose to follow a religion? YES or NO

 

We have no proof that he was foisting anything. All we have is that he wore a pin that was not approved to go on the uniform. A passive act. Religious freedom means that one can express his religion freely if he is not bothering anyone. Now since I would think talking to those who arent interested would bother people, that would not be a part of that. Obviously part of a dress code at a place of employment makes a difference, but what you speak of is more in general.

 

A couple things, google 'Home Depot lawsuits'
they are in court way too much, and they lose alot.

second, I read a couple comments from employment lawyers (the ones who like to sue companies) and there are 2 key points being made-

they better be enforcing this uniformly throughout the company including supervisors and they better have evidence that they didn't overlook this over the first 18 months of his employment or they face a discrimination or retaliation case

(I don't sue, but apparently many do)

problem with company policy is the company has to prove they enforce policy uniformly, without discrimination, and they are consistent

good luck HD


(BTW- he shouldn't be suing them- he should move on and get another job and follow the policy of the company)