she told me about how they changed it six months ago. social worker at hospital in ohio. they give urine tests once a month at random for tobacco use. even one cigarette leaves cotinine (nicotine causes it to be produced in the body) in your system for 2-4 days. to be hired you have to sign a waiver. if you fail a test you are fired.
mind is blown that you can do something that is 100% legal, in your own home, and get fired for it. i don't smoke but i think it is bull **** that a place can fire you for something that is legal. contemplating emailing philip morris just to see what their lawyers have to say about it.
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11-07-2012, 09:51 AM #1
- Join Date: Jan 2008
- Location: Kentucky, United States
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mind blown about mom's job's smoke free policy (srs)
semper fidelis 04-08 0311
cvc
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11-07-2012, 09:53 AM #2
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11-07-2012, 09:54 AM #3
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11-07-2012, 09:56 AM #4
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11-07-2012, 09:56 AM #5
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11-07-2012, 09:58 AM #6
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in an "at-will" state, you can be fired for almost anything. for example:
listen to bieber? fired.
left handed? fired.
watch american idol? fired.
totally legit.
the only limits are things like racial discrimination, etc.
what are the checks on this? if an employer places draconian, unfair restrictions on who can work for them, they won't attract good employees, and will go out of business.
EDIT: because employers pick up the tab for medical insurance, they can negotiate a lower rate if they can guarantee that their employees aren't smokers. this is why they have a no-smoking policy.
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11-07-2012, 09:59 AM #7
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- Location: Kentucky, United States
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i know. i don't understand the legality of how they can do this. not on the premises i can understand. i get smoke free in that aspect because a job can tell you what you can and cannot do AT work. i do not understand how they can tell you what you can do in your own home. it is legal, it is your own home, how do they have say?
people are always complaining about our civil liberties being trampled and i usually don't see it, at all. this though is a bit crazy. what is next?
this is a legit hospital. big hospital. my mom makes a little over 60k a year. economy is **** and so it isn't like workers who want to smoke can just leave willy nilly and find work the next day.semper fidelis 04-08 0311
cvc
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11-07-2012, 10:00 AM #8
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11-07-2012, 10:00 AM #9
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11-07-2012, 10:01 AM #11
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11-07-2012, 10:02 AM #12
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11-07-2012, 10:02 AM #13
- Join Date: Jan 2008
- Location: Kentucky, United States
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i'm about to call philip morris and inquire about this. i don't smoke but i think this is flat out wrong.
smoking at home, in my living room, has zero effect on anything to do with the job. how is that even legal to get fired for? wtf are wrongful termination laws all about then?semper fidelis 04-08 0311
cvc
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11-07-2012, 10:03 AM #14
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11-07-2012, 10:03 AM #15
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11-07-2012, 10:03 AM #16
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Common misconception about "At-will".
There are still tons of terminations that are considered illegal.
I can't fire someone for being black for example.
I can easily see a discrimination case being brought over something like this and even if they don't win it would still cost the company tons of money to fight.
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11-07-2012, 10:04 AM #17
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11-07-2012, 10:07 AM #25
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11-07-2012, 10:08 AM #26
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11-07-2012, 10:09 AM #27
- Join Date: Jan 2008
- Location: Kentucky, United States
- Age: 39
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good we got to this point. my mother has been working there for years. i asked about how being grandfathered in worked with this. she said that people who worked there either had to quit smoking and sign the contract or they were told they would be fired. a contract is a contract. that i understand. it is the people who have been working there, who smoke, who are told to quit and sign a contract or they would be fired. that is what i'm questioning.
semper fidelis 04-08 0311
cvc
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11-07-2012, 10:09 AM #28
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So you think it'd be OK if your poster-boy for your gay-health magazine promoting health for gays was publicly seen to be a chain smoker?
It's the same principle, you can't promote health (working in a hospital) whilst simultaneously doing something that harms you, and expect to be taken seriously. When you are employed by a company, you represent that company. Why is it any different to firing people "for bringing the company into disrepute" which is a common condition in employment contracts.
It'd be like employing a self-harmer to teach self-harmers not to self harm.
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11-07-2012, 10:09 AM #29
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11-07-2012, 10:10 AM #30
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