Fired over Magazine?

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trigun87

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Okay I was at work at a call center and had the shotgun news magazine/catalog on my desk. I left work early and forgot to retire the magazine to my filling cabinet. I normally place all my personal belongings out of sight because I share a desk with someone who works on different shift. I came to work the following the day and before clocking in I was told to go to the managers office. I entered a she had the magazine on her desk.
Long story short she sad the person who sits at my desk before me took the magazine to HR, where she stated "she feels threatend, and is worried about the companies safety".:what:

I got written up with a warning and placed on decision time. And my job was basically threatend:fire:

I wanna know is this legal? It honestly feels like discrimination. The female that sits at the desk before me leaves her modelling magazines with less than fully clothed women. Im being discriminated against for not having cosmo, or sports illustrated magazine on my desk? Can they fire me because of this?
 
Technically they can fire you for just about anything.

I would contact a lawyer asap and tell them what's going on.

It's certainly not right and only a friggin' liberal feels threatened by a gun magazine. Stupid wench!! :fire:

I hope you can sue their pants off personally!!! :cuss:
 
Contact the legal dept of your company. Find out if there are any written notices against firearms related magazines/viewing materials on prop. Explain your situation, get their input.
Contact your own lawyer, get his/her input. Go from there.

dan
 
#1 check with a lawyer. The state you are in makes a huge difference.

Read your company's policy manual and see if they list any "objectionable" subjects reading material. If they have the catchall about material making other people uncomfortable I personally would find something about those magazines left by the other person at your desk that makes you uncomfotable. If it is half naked models bring up your religous beliefs and how these offend you. (Try not to mention what religion you belong to.)

This is a tricky scenario to play and the odds are against you. But I have seen it done successfully before.

The best bet is probably not to bring anything even remotely connected to firearms to work or to talk about it.

Good Luck
NukemJim
 
And I figured I had problems. I was takeing a management course and the instructor seemed down on me for a long time until I finally found out he had had a real problem with another couple of fellows in a company who wore the same Lodge ring as me and of course I have a nice belt buckle I wear also. I straightened him out as to what kind of person I was and we became freinds once I explained that what happened to him was not normal actions of real Lodge members.
I always wonder when I fly what some people think as I pick up a couple good mags at the news stand before getting on the plane and of course they are gun mags as thats all I read except woodworking and knife ones. Have you ever met this lady and let her see what type of person you are. Leave some flowers on the desk also.
 
I would NOT mention the SGN to anyone, what I would do at this point is go to the same supervisor and say that since you can't have your SGN then you want the modeling magazines discontinued by the coworker because they offend you with the partial nudity of the females within and it makes you feel unconfortable to see that but if it were partially nude MALES that you would be okay with it.
You just covered yourself on 2 bases by doing that and I'm sure you can figure them out.......
 
Florida is a "right to work" state. They can fire you for nothing. A lawyer can do nothing. If you say "they can't read either", you are creating a hostile work enviroment and will be fired.

Welcome to he.. my friend. You have a job, be happy.

This is not my opinion, this is what happened to me also.
 
It's pretty simple - you want to keep working there, keep your mouth shut and do your job. Complaining or pointing fingers at somebody else because of this incident is just going to put you on the list of people to go. It's a call center - I don't even have to ask, I know they have policies about goofing off on company time. Quite frankly they don't even need a reason to can you and they can replace you with one of 20 guys lined up asking for the job. Why would you push it?

My take? Come to work, do what they ask of you, get paid, go home. The guy that makes waves is gonna get pounded down. I suppose you could always toss her magazines in the garbage if you wanted to be spiteful. But know that kind of stuff has a way of coming around. You want to earn a paycheck, get in line like the rest of the sheep and do what they tell you.
 
Your boss, HR and your co-worker are a gun bigots.

You aren't the first person to be harassed at work by bigots of various types and you won't be the last.

Unfortunately, while most other forms of bigotry are prohibited in the workplace, gun bigotry is not. My advice would be to respond to the reprimand with an extremely polite and diplomatic letter that emphasizes that while you are sorry that your co-worker found a sporting magazine with a picture of a gun in it offensive and that you'll certainly never bring such a magazine to work again, there is no basis whatsoever for concern, NOT that the boss /HR/co-worker is wrong. Even though they are.

I see your point about the fashion magazines, but any sort of actual action about them would be petty and counter-productive.

Best of luck.
 
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Find another job. I'm not being flippant, but if you're working for a company that can dictate what you read, you're working for the wrong company.
 
#1 check with a lawyer. The state you are in makes a huge difference.

Read your company's policy manual and see if they list any "objectionable" subjects reading material.
Click to expand...

Man a sad state we are in. :banghead: Maybe a bit big brotherish?
 
I will do as Im told because as stated I have a job and need to keep it. Im just steamed that this is acceptable legally. I wont complain about her magazines because I dont want to play that game, Im above that. We can view reading material between calls, and I had been looking at firearm related magazines for a whole year previous with the managers knowledge, with no complaint from co workers etc. My old supervisor even calls me "rifleman" as an inside joke.
 
Victimization Example
Men: Assault, Robbery, Murder
Women: Assault, Robbery, Murder, RAPE

How much more likely is a woman to be raped than a man? 100X? 1000X? How is it logical for a woman to be anti-gun when she is more likely to be made a victim than a man and more helpless? I'm not being sexist against women just trying to understand the logic in anti-gun women (and there's a lot).

-------------------

Regarding the OP. Man I feel for you. I can't add anything that might help you that others haven't already said. If you're an "at will" employee, I guess you just gotta bend over and take it. I say talk to some lawyers if you want, but always be on the lookout for another job because you might find something better anyways! :)

When I was a kid I thought adults were on a different plane of maturity. But it turns out adults are worse than kids. The games just get a lot nastier.

------------

Sorry we can't help trigun87. Rest assured a lot of people understand what you're going through.
 
Well, to be clear, the sad state at hand isn't related to 'at-will' employment but rather to the fact that firearms are sufficiently demonized such that mere pictures of them in mainstream publications can be considered threatening.

Me being me, I would probably pursue the issue with HR and seek written clarification as to what kinds of non-work reading material is allowed and/or disallowed. I have found that, in many cases, small companies make up HR policies as they go, in response to whomever is complaining at a given point in time. If you push them into actually addressing the issue holistically, you may find that you get a more favorable ruling than you would if you let them simply knee-jerk their way past this one.
 
I'd definately go on record with HR. I bet the mgr you spoke with hadn't even gone to HR prior to giving you your lashings. I know if that happened in my office, I'd definately go on record. At least to only state that there was ZERO reason for concern, and that it will not happen again (if in breach of policy).
 
Talk to a lawer. There are too many shadeings and turns in the law for a lay person. At work, never revail any thing, have no coment other than work, do not even give your full name and address. Be Mr. unknown.
 
How is it logical for
Click to expand...

The OP's problem is anything but logical, it's just the way stuff is.

Hey, I've been screamed at by my boss and threatened with firing for far less than the OP's situation.
 
How is it logical for a woman to be anti-gun when she is more likely to be made a victim than a man and more helpless?
Click to expand...

It's logical because she thinks the rapist might use a gun to force her compliance. The logic is not the real point though. She's anti-gun because she has a generalized fear of violence and the use of force, and she knows that she will never be the gun-holder in an armed confrontation.

As to the OP's situation, don't do anything vengeful or retaliatory. It won't help. I second the notion of leaving your co-worker some flowers, and telling her that you're sorry that your magazine upset her. (You don't have to apologize for reading it, though.) Assure her than you never bring a gun to work.
 
Like was stated earlier there probably doesnt have to be a reason to fire you . I know here in OK we dont have to have a reason to fire . I run a business and I am a very reasonable person to work for . I have participated in arguements about politics , religion finances all of the taboo topics . I respect people for having their own beliefs and way of thinking . I reward and punish for reasons of merit only and even if I dont like somebodies politics that is something totally off base from their performance on the job . I just told a guy that I have bird hunted with for years if he doesnt straighten his act up he is going to be unemployed . I will probably have to find another place to pheasant hunt b/c its his families place that we hunt , but , on the other hand I layed off my fishing partner and we still fish together . Unfortunately politics dominate some of the bigger corporations and a lot of offices succomb to the politics of the people working there . If somebody brought this particular subject to me I would simply tell you that if you like sgn that is fine , but , try to keep your reading material to your self and then I would send out a memo stating that everyone keep your reading material to youreselves rather it be sgn , vogue , popular mechanics or penthouse .
 
Sounds like you work under a liberal chain of command that is terrified of evil black guns. The call center I work for dosent allow any reading material as it is a distraction from your job and you arent being payed to read. CSR's are told if they are bored they can find another job.
 
Don't worry, at least you can buy a gun and just not read your magazine at work.

Here in NJ, the permit to purchase sends a letter to your place of employment. So if you have an uner-liberal boss, he can not only get your gun permit denied, but also fire you from your job as well.

And when you go to reapply, you have to explain why your last application was denied "my employer did not feel comfortable with me owning a gun"

Sad to say, you've just gotta suck it up, not bring the mag to work, and maybe find a new job if it bugs ya that much.
 
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