Employer Fires Atheist

[dgridley]

An investigator for the Maine Human Rights Commission has found reasonable grounds for a manager's claim that he was fired from his job at DeCoster farms because he's an atheist.

Cacy Cantwell says Austin "Jack" DeCoster told him before he was fired that they might have to "part ways" because Cantwell didn't believe in God.

The backing of the investigator bolsters Cantwell's case, which is expected to go before the full commission, said Patricia Ryan, executive director.

Cantwell was working for Maine Contract Farming, a DeCoster subsidiary where he was hired as a manager in 2003. DeCoster is the region's largest brown egg producer.

The official reason for Cantwell's firing in November 2006 was "poor job performance," but the commission's investigator, Barbara Lelli, said Cantwell received no written warnings about performance problems.

Cantwell, who was provided housing he shared with a non-married partner, two of his children and three of her children, said he was criticized by DeCoster, a devout Christian, who didn't approve of the living arrangement.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/ma...sonable_grounds_for_claim_of_atheism_firing/?

If a workplace doesn't receive outside public funding, I believe they should be able to hire or fire anyone they choose.. it's their business, their capital, and they worked for it.

 

[dhscott]

But firing someone on grounds of religious belief does not impact the way they work.

If this had happened in the UK, the guy would have got millions!

 

[-AB-]

He will get millions over here which is really sad, as dave said... it's their business they should be able to hire and fire anyone they like.

 

[dgridley]

The unfortunate thing is: this guy probably will be allowed to sue and may even win millions because he was dicriminated against.. on the other hand, while I may not share his views, I can applaud the guy who stood up for his personal values and fired him. It's his right IMO...

Where I work, they are so afraid of wrongful termination litigation, the rest of us are forced to work with inept, lazy jerks because Corporate won't take the chance and fire them. Instead, they manuipulate their schedules, give them fewer or too many hours, and hope they quit. Meanwhile, the real workers suffer.

He will get millions over here which is really sad, as dave said... it's their business they should be able to hire and fire anyone they like.

 

[000]

If a workplace doesn't receive outside public funding, I believe they should be able to hire or fire anyone they choose.. it's their business, their capital, and they worked for it.

Aye aye, this is a sad reminder of the decline of America... :td:

 

[StoneRoses]

If they get sued it is their own fault, there are procedures to firing someone,over here in the UK it's 2 verbal warnings and a written warning and then you are out.
The procedure is in place to protect both employer and employee.
Even if they wanted to fire him for his religious beliefs or lack of them( which is wrong on so many levels) they should have been a bit cuter about it and gone through the correct procedure and not left themselves open to being sued.
if you have lazy jerks working for you ,then they deserve to be fired, but do it properly, you will normally find that after 2 verbal warnings they normally realise that they have been rumbled and leave of their own accord anyway.

If a workplace doesn't receive outside public funding, I believe they should be able to hire or fire anyone they choose.. it's their business, their capital, and they worked for it.

Yes Dav3 i agree people should be able to sack who they want, but only with good reason.
Say,i had a job which i was brilliant at, but i didn't get on with my boss,for whatever reason, i have a wife and 3 kids to feed and i am never late, the boss doesn't like me and wants to get his brother a job,so he sacks me without any warning or notice, then says its because i am rubbish at my job.
Is that his right?, as it's his company? what about the right of me and my family?.
Rules are there to stop this kind of abuse for both sides, either abide by them or be prepared to have the arse sued of you./or be fired
And don't come moaning about it when it happens.

 

[ennui]

I believe the main point is whether the person in position brings revenue to the whole enterprise or not, if someone's brilliant and it results in profit, the boss is sure to close his eyes on religious beliefs or marital status.

 

[StoneRoses]

In an ideal world one would like to think this is so , however, this is not an ideal world and some people will always judge others on looks,religious beliefs,sexual orientation and lots of other things that have no effect on your ability to work.
Some people don't care about any of this,others will bite the bullet and put up with it,others simply will not stand for it no matter how good you are at your job. :imho:

 

[Matthew.]

If a workplace doesn't receive outside public funding, I believe they should be able to hire or fire anyone they choose.. it's their business, their capital, and they worked for it.

You think that really? Great, I'm going to start a company, and not hire and then fire all Pakistanis, Asians, pregnant women and anyone with a penis smaller than my own.

Discrimination for the nation!...

Matt

 

[dgridley]

Yes, I do think that..

I started the business, funded the business, and worked hard at it.. I should be able to hire or fire whoever I like.

You think that really? Great, I'm going to start a company, and not hire and then fire all Pakistanis, Asians, pregnant women and anyone with a penis smaller than my own.

Discrimination for the nation!...

Matt

 

[StoneRoses]

Yes, I do think that..

I started the business, funded the business, and worked hard at it.. I should be able to hire or fire whoever I like.

Are you really saying it should be possible to sack someone for no work related reason just because you are the boss and it's your company?.

 

[dgridley]

Yes. Likewise, I don't think I should have to hire someone I don't want to hire.. if I want a restaurant full of midget's called Shorty's.. I shouldn't have to hire a 6 footer.. just my opinion.

Are you really saying it should be possible to sack someone for no work related reason just because you are the boss and it's your company?.

 

[Matthew.]

Yes. Likewise, I don't think I should have to hire someone I don't want to hire.. if I want a restaurant full of midget's called Shorty's.. I shouldn't have to hire a 6 footer.. just my opinion.

Then you would advertise to interview only midgets....thats a sentence i never thought i would write. That is fine, but hiring someone on the assumption they are a midget and then finding out they are 6ft tall with man boobs and firing them because of it is wrong...

Firing someone because they don't believe in god is outrageous that's the end of it really...

Matt

 

[Ronald Regging]

Yes, I do think that..

I started the business, funded the business, and worked hard at it.. I should be able to hire or fire whoever I like.

So you're saying that it's completely OK to discriminate against another human being just because you own the business? I think your sense of entitlement is preventing you from seeing the bigger picture here...

Technically speaking, you can fire someone for whatever reason you want, even your own bigotry, but you cant make that person feel discriminated against... For instance... That business owner could have kept his mouth shut about his views on the guys living arrangement and his lack of belief in God, then decided to fire the guy. It's still not right, but because the owner wouldn't have made comments which made the guy feel like he was being discriminated against, the guy who got fired would not have a haunting feeling of discrimination based on his firing. He might not know why he was fired if the "official reason" was untrue, but lots of people get "let go" for bogus reasons all the time... I got fired from a job for a bogus reason, but more than likely it was because they were trying to get out of having to pay unemployment, as they soon "fired" about half the staff...

But if you think that owning a business or having lots of money entitles you to treat other people like crap, than you got bigger issues in life than who you can and cannot fire.

 

[dgridley]

I think we're talking about a man who put his money where his mouth is, stood up for his own values.. I can't fault him for that.

As an aside, years ago, one of my girlfriends and I were denied an apartment because we were unmarried and consequently "living in sin".. so I've been there. I didn't sue.. I looked for another place.

So you're saying that it's completely OK to discriminate against another human being just because you own the business? I think your sense of entitlement is preventing you from seeing the bigger picture here...

Technically speaking, you can fire someone for whatever reason you want, even your own bigotry, but you cant make that person feel discriminated against... For instance... That business owner could have kept his mouth shut about his views on the guys living arrangement and his lack of belief in God, then decided to fire the guy. It's still not right, but because the owner wouldn't have made comments which made the guy feel like he was being discriminated against, the guy who got fired would not have a haunting feeling of discrimination based on his firing. He might not know why he was fired if the "official reason" was untrue, but lots of people get "let go" for bogus reasons all the time... I got fired from a job for a bogus reason, but more than likely it was because they were trying to get out of having to pay unemployment, as they soon "fired" about half the staff...

But if you think that owning a business or having lots of money entitles you to treat other people like crap, than you got bigger issues in life than who you can and cannot fire.

 

[Ronald Regging]

I think we're talking about a man who put his money where his mouth is, stood up for his own values.. I can't fault him for that.

As an aside, years ago, one of my girlfriends and I were denied an apartment because we were unmarried and consequently "living in sin".. so I've been there. I didn't sue.. I looked for another place.

True, to be honest I'm not the type to sue either. I probably would have spray-painted satanic symbols all over his house, car, business, etc just for giggles...

 

[dhscott]

What if an employer fired you on grounds of your religious stance, would you feel happy that he stood up for his beliefs then?

Lets change the viewpoint here, I know you like to gamble :P. What if an employer fired you on grounds that you were a gambler, a legal gambler who didn't have an addiction?

I'm surprised no-ones flamed yet!

 

[dgridley]

I may not like it, but that's his right IMO.. he can deny his employment based on credit or criminal background, yet he can't deny him because he violates his moral principles?

What if an employer fired you on grounds of your religious stance, would you feel happy that he stood up for his beliefs then?

Lets change the viewpoint here, I know you like to gamble :P. What if an employer fired you on grounds that you were a gambler, a legal gambler who didn't have an addiction?

I'm surprised no-ones flamed yet!

 

[Ronald Regging]

I may not like it, but that's his right IMO.. he can deny his employment based on credit or criminal background, yet he can't deny him because he violates his moral principles?

No he can not, because of a little thing known as freedom of religion... it's in the constitution If you dont like it, move to some other country... I hate people that say that... Its usually a rather ignorant cop-out... but in this case, if you can't appreciate the ideas of "freedom" in the purest, simplest sense, such as the freedom of speech or freedom of religion, than yeah, America is not the right place for you

 

[movingconcierge]

It all boils down to that little thing called a protected class. Religion, sex, ethnicity, etc.

Religion is for weak people. I'd love to be able to fire all the born again bible thumpers, but alas the rules of the land.