Who Knows...On Monday I May Be Unemployed

[rsmith6621]

....Yesterday I was sitting next to the Flat Screen that we have outside media outlets being streamed through.....Due to the fact we have had some snow here in Seattle we had the flat screen on a local network when all the sudden Nancy Grace appeared in an hour long feature with her as a host.....

Well.....a few of my co-workers asked me to turn it to another channel cause they hate hearing Graces drawlly voice, so I turned it to CNN.


Well anyhow my big boss said he feels the same way about Sarah Palins when she speaks and then he followed up by saying but I agree with her polices and program....I BIT MY TOUNGE HARD but my tounge lost and I said "What policies and programs of hers do you agree with"....what solutions do you agree that she has that will get the country back on the right track for all...... He became very quiet and my mouth had to say the following...." I guess your silence is evidence that she has nothing to offer".....ten minutes later after a period of quiet on his part he grabbed his coat turned of his desk light and wished everyone a Happy New Year and left for the rest of the week...


All's my fellow coworkers could say in effect was DUDE!!!

[barbtries]

1. hopefully your boss

will overlook your clearly superior intellect and keep you on. :)

[bluestate10]

10. If he even intimidates you at work, hire a civil rights lawyer and sue immediately.

Any attempt to get even with you is illegal. Maybe his silence meant he realized he made ignorant comments praising Palin.

[onenote]

19. under what law would it be illegal?

Certainly not under federal law. And absent a specific employment agreement that says otherwise, most employees are "at will", which means that they can be fired for any reason except for one of the few specifically protected bases, such as race, religion, etc. Having particular political views is not a protected class under federal law.

[Statistical]

30. Sadly in right to work states he has no such protection.

He could be terminates without cause. No reason given, no explanation required. Hell they could just phone him and say don't come in we will mail your last check.


Now to the OP I would hope your boss is going to fire you over that. Likely he will get blasted tomorrow and forget about it.

[femrap]

15. I've found that the worst

thing an employee can do is make their boss feel stupid.

[CountAllVotes]

2. he loves Falin' Palin ...

she's got a nice arse. :puke:

:grr:

[dana_b]

3. eek!!

I applaud your courage but hope that it gives him something to think about and not to fire you over. I really don't think he could do that legally anyhow.

[bluestate10]

16. Agreed. The manager would be on legally treacherous ground

attempting to fire for political, religious, ethnic or racial differences. His bosses will likely firs him if he tries and you prove your point.

But having written the above, maybe the manager realizes that his statement was pure hoke. If he offers an olive branch like a sit down over coffee, the poster should take that as a chance to clear the air and let the manager know that he was not questioning the manager's values, but that the poster have serious reservations about Palin and her capacity to lead on a big stage.

[Wednesdays]

18. Are you guys kidding?

Don't know what it's like in Seattle, but in a "Right to Work" state, the boss can fire you if they don't like your tie.

If I said something like that here in Oklahoma, I'd be canned on the spot. And if I dared to take it to court,
#1 The judge would either laugh me out of court, or
#2 the boss would make up some other shit to excuse the firing, which would bring about #1 anyway.

[onenote]

20. +1

[dana_b]

23. no, I'm not kidding

I'm really sorry that it is like that for you and people in other states. That's just dead wrong.
I know that where I am (Northern California), it is far from perfect but there are labor laws and he would not get away with it. My boss has tried to write us all up for the stupidest crap and she doesn't have a leg to stand on. We've brought things to human resources and they basically have laughed at what she has tried to do.

[TBF]

26. He's right - down here in TX you'd be fired and nobody in the 5th

circuit (federal court) would do anything to help you. Where you are, 9th circuit, it's a whole different ball game.

[Statistical]

31. Hate to break it to you but CA is an "at will" state.

Your boss could simply call you up and say you are terminated. No reason needs to be given. The only exception would be if your employer and you created an employment contract. Most employers aren't stupid enough to give their employees rights.

http://research.lawyers.com/California/Employment-Law-in-California.html
--------------

"At Will

In California, employees are presumed to be "at will." At-will employees may be terminated for any reason, so long as it's not illegal. Generally, employees that work under an employment contract can only be terminated for reasons specified in the contract. In California, the at-will presumption can be overcome by evidence that despite the absence of a specified term of employment, the parties agreed who the employer's power to terminate would be limited in some way."

[Mojorabbit]

25. Same here in Florida. nt

[Lisa0825]

29. A friend of mine consulted a lawyer about a similar situation

and was told that political affiliation is not a protected class, and there was nothing she could sue for.

[ewagner]

4. What really bothers me?

Is that you even have to worry about retaliation from your boss for speaking your views, or, simply asking him to clarify his.

You won't be fired on Monday.....Having observed current corporate America, I know how this plays out. Soon your work will be substandard and they will put you on a "performance improvement plan" which you will never be able to achieve and eventually you will be terminated.

I hope I'm wrong about this one.

[cutlassmama]

5. Update your resume.

[Phlunk]

6. Hopefully the fact that your boss chose not to engage you in debate

means he is simply letting it rest and your job will be secure.

[customerserviceguy]

7. Ask yourself this

How secure is your boss? Not in his position with the company, of course, but as a human being?

If the answer is, "He's pretty damn insecure" (check out what he drives) then you're toast. If he's fairly secure with himself as a person, then he will have a weekend to think about what you've said.

Insecure people love suck-ups, secure people despise them. Clearly, you're not a suck-up, and he will have to decide how he feels about that, after he's examined his own soul.

[prolesunited]

8. Never talk politics at work

just isn't worth it. Like religion, it will only get you in trouble.

[The Backlash Cometh]

9. I don't want to disquiet you, but if he's a real right-winger,

DUDE!

[K8-EEE]

11. Hopefully he will cool off over the weekend

They tend to be hotheaded esp. when called on BS -- but I think firing you over such a conversation would cause him a lot of problems. I think he will prob just be vibey for awhile, not fire you. It's not like you lost your temper and said "you fucking idiot, you fool liking Sarah Palin, you're such an ass!" II think it will blow over. Not holding out any hope that he will come to his senses though. Not too many people like Quitter but the ones who do are downright cultists.

[lumberjack_jeff]

12. It sounds as if he belatedly realized that injecting politics in his workplace was a bad idea. n/t

[niceypoo]

13. I work with a particularly foolish republican

He and I had a mild political discussion where I disagreed with him. Eight months later he still acts very knee jerk and resentful around me.

Republicans have a very fragile worldview and they cannot handle someone stating otherwise. If you disagree with them on anything political they, 'hate,' you.

[bluestate10]

14. Document work goals and timelines. Get the manager's signature and

date of the signature on every document. Hammer his ass if he attempts to violate even the slightest of your work rules. While some executives in corporations will attempt to intimidate, wiser heads won't allow a political difference to seriously damage the company's reputation. Be prepared to defend yourself and make it clear to the manager that you will pull the trigger.

[Tracer]

17. I don't think talking politics in the office is wise.

But I think you should have stopped after the "What policies and programs..." question. That might have given him a chance to respond (whether you liked his answer or not).

Seemed a reasonable question to ask.

However, your comment about his silence was uncalled for in the circumstances.

[Contrary1]

21. I approach the Palin nitwits in a different way...

In a respectful manner (ok, I'm good with the BS and can do this without laughing), I tell them that I haven't been following politics much lately, and maybe they could clue me in on the specifics of what she says she would do to fix the country's problems.

Always results in the same vacant look and stammering. They end up knowing they are uninformed, and I didn't have to say one negative thing about their heroine.

[flying rabbit]

24. That's kind of what

I do. It's fun to watch the gears in their head grind to a halt.

[lunatica]

22. He might be reacting more to being talked down to than anything about Palin

Even if you didn't mean to it may have sounded to him that you inferred he was a fool.

[VeryLibGal]

27. I hope your boss is not that petty and you do not lose your job BUT I must

appalled you for calling him on backing up hot air.

[Odin2005]

28. Things like this are a reason I have trouble holding down a job.

My Asperger's means that I reflexively want to rebut someone saying something wrong or stupid, no matter the social context.

I despise people that punish people under them just for disagreeing or criticizing them.