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Company Fires All Employees Who Smoke

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Its utter and complete discrimination. If firing smokers is legal, than firing old people, fat people, and gays is leagal too. Why not fire everyone who uses a snowmobile or a four wheeler or rides a motorcycle? They are inherantly dangerous too. Fire everyone that walks downtown and sucks up all the carbon monoxide from the exhaust fumes.

I'm curious if this company has a policy that enforces a drug free work force? They fire over a legal item like cigarettes but allow their employees to smoke dope, pop qualudes or drop acid.
 
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It is the same company the was cited in the news report in the opening of the thread. And doing something does not automatically make it legal. This will go through the courts and once the decision comes down (and the corresponding appeals are affirmed or reversed) then and only then will it be case precedent in the state of Michigan.
 
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It was just on the local news that the Kalamazoo Valley Community College will not hire any full-time people if they mark on their applications that they use tobacco products. Their philosophy is that if you use tobacco products it costs the school more money in health care that they would rather spend on students and staff.

I have never been a smoker but it is amazing what I watch co-workers who smoke go through every day. Last week with the 0 degree days I saw two co-workers stand outside smoking. One wears a jacket in this weather and the other does not.

As to some of the other stories. My mom worked at a hospital years ago where the smoking room had poor lighting, dark colors on the walls and no ventilation.

The last town I lived in the hospital made the campus smoke free. All of the smokers stood on the sidewalk and smoked as it was public property. The hospital wanted the city to ban smoking in all public places, but the city did not want to do it. (I believe one town in Michigan did ban it, but it was stricken down by the courts).

I worked at a furniture store in undergrad and the owner refused to hire any smokers. He had a few reasons. First, was that he hated how they always stunk like smoke and did not like the impression it gave customers. Second, he hated their constant smoke breaks. Third, he did not like the idea of cigarettes around all the wooden furniture in case of fire. He had two workers that smoked and refused to hire any more.
 
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My dad died of cancer at an early age due to smoking. He couldn't/wouldn't quit no matter what, even knowing he was going to die. That is just plain stupidity and from a man who had an extremely high IQ.

I'm all for this action. It drives up health care costs for all, as does obesity and non excerise. These cost punish everyone across the board, not just the ones with the unhealthy lifestyle.

If there were ways to reduce cost to those who prove healthy lifestyles or increase costs for those who don't, I would consider accepting that alternative.
 
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probably very easy for non-smokers to advocate that this stance is OK... we can only assume we know what the addiction feels like... and we're naive enuf to think we could kick it or any habit in a second if we wanted to...

I've had the luxury of being around a number of extremely close friends and a couple family members who are/were addicted to this day... took out a brother already... and it'll take out the rest... they know it.. we all know it... but they just can't 'fix' it... When I say the luxury, that merely means I was able to see it first hand... thus knew by freshman year to never go there because I too might not be able to ever pull out...

So before we jump too hard on smokers... maybe we should just refrain and be damn glad we don't have to face the gorilla... but gotta admit, Alans post sure brought back memories ... how I disdained 'those damn smokers' who seemed to be missing a quarter of the work day... so net net, not sure how to feel about this one...
 
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It's total bullshit. I dont smoke, I never will, and I think those that do smoke are stupid as shit for ever getting started...however, it's a personal choice, and people should not be fired for smoking on their own time. The company uses the excuse that smoking raises their health costs. Fuck them. What's next? Are they going to make eveyone become fucking vegetarians because red meat is bad for you? Will they forbid you from playing sports because you may get hurt? Will they forbid couples from fucking to eliminate lost time due to employee pregnancy? As long as your actions do not directly affect your performance at work or reflect a negative image on the company, employers have no right to terminate you for your off-duty actions.
 
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Its utter and complete discrimination. If firing smokers is legal, than firing old people, fat people, and gays is leagal
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I have already stated I agree with firing fat folks also because both smoking and over-eating are choices. If a company wants to say that they do not want employees who make poor choices about their health where those choices will cost that company money I am all for that kind of discrimination. (Getting old is a different category because it is not a choice.)

probably very easy for non-smokers to advocate that this stance is OK... we can only assume we know what the addiction feels like... and we're naive enuf to think we could kick it or any habit in a second if we wanted to...
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No, I have not suffered from this particular addiction. But I have lost close firends and family members to smoking. My mother has severe lung problems brought about by second hand smoke.

That is why I think we should make it as difficult on smokers as we possibly can. Supporting their habit in any way, shape or form is enabling. You can't say on the one hand it is "personal choice" and on the other hand it is an "unmanageable addiction".

Fifty years from now society will look back and wonder how we ever permitted anyone to light an object,place it in their mouths, and inhale deadly fumes.

So long as it inflates my health care costs and subjects me to second half smoke it is my business. So long as it kills my family and friends I intend to make it my business.

There are 'rights' and there are 'responsibilities'. I am tired of hearing about smokers rights but not the responsibility of one of my closest friends who died just over a year ago to hang around and watch his 9 year old daughter grow up. He was one of the brightest people I ever knew and he tried numerous times to quit. He knew he should - he just couldn't. Where the hell was the choice in that?
 
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I'm a smoker, and I don't have a problem with this policy. Also, it is completely legal, at least in Ohio. Yeah, you can do what you want on your own time...go ahead. But if you smoke on your own time, then work someplace else. There are several companies in Ohio that have this policy, and have had for quite some time. I interviewed for a job at State Auto Insurance Company about five years ago, and they had this policy in effect. If you used tobacco, you didn't get hired. Period. I told the guy I interviewed with that I smoked a cigar on New Year's Eve, but that was it....and he told me I had no shot. Half the reason people are pissed about this is because it's something that is being taken away. If this policy was in place when they were hired, they wouldn't have a problem with it. Rules are rules. I can understand being pissed when the rules change halfway through the game (so to speak), but don't say this is illegal. In all reality, tobacco itself shouldn't be legal.
 
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I worked for Longaberger's Cattle Farm 2 summers and that company was tobacco free. They even did random drug tests to check for tobacco in your system. They did it so they would have lower health care premiums on their employees.

I'm not sure if they still have this policy or not. I worked for them 10 years ago.

(God, has it really been 10 years?)
 
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My company is VERY safety concious- they don't regulate what you do off the job, but they do track off the job injuries that result in lost work days, and they suggest that we be careful in what we do on our own time.

This, however, is going way too far. I don't smoke, and I hate it when people do, but to tell me how I can or can't live my life, on my time, in my house? Bullshit.

Big Brother is indeed watching....
 
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I don't nessasary agree with what the company is doing but it is fully within there rights in mant states. I know Ohio is like this that you can be fired for any reason at any time.

A few question that I would have is, did these people know this when they were hired? or was it a new policy? if indeed it was a new policy then I think as a good will gesture the company should pay for programs to help the workers to stop smoking. If it was a rule when they got hired they knew from day one what the rule was so why did they take the job?


Oh8ch said:
I have already stated I agree with firing fat folks also because both smoking and over-eating are choices. If a company wants to say that they do not want employees who make poor choices about their health where those choices will cost that company money I am all for that kind of discrimination. (Getting old is a different category because it is not a choice.)
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Here is My problem with firing over weight people.....medical conditions. You have people with tyroid problems etc who are just going to be big for there whole lives. My aunt is like this. eats healthy, works out, but because of medication she is on she is overweight. This is where you would have lawsuits poping up
 
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