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Protester Terminated For Her Antiwar Politics
I was terminated from my job at Newhall Pacific, Inc. because I am an outspoken protester against the U.S. war with Iraq. The other employees are very prowar and support Bush's politics. I was the only outspoken antiwar employee there.
Friday, March 21st I returned to work after staying home Thursday, March 20th, when it became apparent that the U.S. war with Iraq was unavoidable. I was overwhelmed with saddness and wept. I called in that morning and said that I would not be coming into work that day. Nothing more.
However, unbeknowst to me since Saturday, March 15th, while at the antiwar protest in San Francisco, my manager had been building a case to terminate me.
Apparently some antiwar emails from my yahoo email account had printed on my manager's printer. This prompted him to scrutinize the current office phone bill which listed my cell phone number numerous times. He said he became "suspicious". Suspicious of what I do not know nor did he offer any explanation. He then accused me of behaviors that I had engaged in since the beginning of my employment with Newhall Pacific. Behaviors that the other employees had also engaged in. Behaviors that until he had found the antiwar emails had never been an issue before. So I was terminated.
This is truly an example of blantant polical discrimination. Indeed our basic civil rights are being eradicated now more swiftly than ever and we must not allow this. We must speak out. We must be outspoken. We must not be afraid. I refuse to live in fear of the most corrupt government in the world and sadly that is the u.s. government.
However, unbeknowst to me since Saturday, March 15th, while at the antiwar protest in San Francisco, my manager had been building a case to terminate me.
Apparently some antiwar emails from my yahoo email account had printed on my manager's printer. This prompted him to scrutinize the current office phone bill which listed my cell phone number numerous times. He said he became "suspicious". Suspicious of what I do not know nor did he offer any explanation. He then accused me of behaviors that I had engaged in since the beginning of my employment with Newhall Pacific. Behaviors that the other employees had also engaged in. Behaviors that until he had found the antiwar emails had never been an issue before. So I was terminated.
This is truly an example of blantant polical discrimination. Indeed our basic civil rights are being eradicated now more swiftly than ever and we must not allow this. We must speak out. We must be outspoken. We must not be afraid. I refuse to live in fear of the most corrupt government in the world and sadly that is the u.s. government.
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Hi Suzy,
If you felt like putting your boss's email on this page, I bet people would gladly write him/her and tell him/her how they feel about this.
If you do not want people to write email to your former boss, then you shouldn't post the email address.
I'm sorry for your loss.
If you felt like putting your boss's email on this page, I bet people would gladly write him/her and tell him/her how they feel about this.
If you do not want people to write email to your former boss, then you shouldn't post the email address.
I'm sorry for your loss.
You need to talk to the San Francisco National Lawyers Guild and ask them about wrongful termination lawsuit options. You need to consider options on how to make these jerks an example to other employers.
Go here:
http://www.nlg.org/sf/contact.html
This isn't their normal turf, but they can tell you where to go to get something done
Go here:
http://www.nlg.org/sf/contact.html
This isn't their normal turf, but they can tell you where to go to get something done
Chill out.
Or if you're divisive by design (cointelpro type), know your effort is silly as people can see there's no need to be so pissy in attitude.
best regards,
jack
Or if you're divisive by design (cointelpro type), know your effort is silly as people can see there's no need to be so pissy in attitude.
best regards,
jack
My boss has been haranging and harassing me ever since 3/20, and i even came into work that day (after getting an early start on activities in the A.M., and returning to them in the evening. I can tell she's unhappy with me, all because of my anti-war views, but she's too smart to fire me for it.
She'll find some other excuse.....
She'll find some other excuse.....
I congratulate you for you patriotic actions against violence. Please do not feel like you alone. There are many of us who have suffered and been persecuted in the name of freedom. When the cause is just, only those with courage will take the necessary actions to safeguard our freedoms.
I suspect that your office is full of ass-kissers and snitches, so GOOD RIDDANCE TO BAD RUBBISH!!!
A shout out to all those ignorant trolls who have nothing better to do then post moronic and misspelled missives full of knee-JERK reactionism.
SADDAM WILL SEE YOU IN HELL --- ASSHOLES!!!
I suspect that your office is full of ass-kissers and snitches, so GOOD RIDDANCE TO BAD RUBBISH!!!
A shout out to all those ignorant trolls who have nothing better to do then post moronic and misspelled missives full of knee-JERK reactionism.
SADDAM WILL SEE YOU IN HELL --- ASSHOLES!!!
What is Newhall Pacific and what kind of work did you do? How much did you get paid?
Suzette...sorry about the job loss. I was getting concerned over the same thing, then I realized that if we all shut up, then nothing will ever change...well done.
I too lost my job for my political stand on Bush.
Just a heads up: some companies use software to trap all online activities. This includes web browsing. Since your email was accessed through a browser, such software could assist an employer in obtaining your password and also viewing your browsing (and therefore your emails). Do not assume that your email just printed out on your boss's printer. It is entirely possible that he has accessed your email. Change your password.
Just a heads up: some companies use software to trap all online activities. This includes web browsing. Since your email was accessed through a browser, such software could assist an employer in obtaining your password and also viewing your browsing (and therefore your emails). Do not assume that your email just printed out on your boss's printer. It is entirely possible that he has accessed your email. Change your password.
Sounds like your boss did you a favor. Wh would you want to work with a bunch of Nazis anyway?
unfortunately, your boss took the precaution of "building a case against you" as you've said. so a wrongful termination suit might be tough. i'll assume you were an "at-will" employee (as everyone is in California by default unless you have a contract or are a union employee). if that is the case, they can fire you for any reason or no reason, so long as there's no discrimination based on protected class. also, courts have decided that employees have no reasonable expectation of privacy for email at work. presumably that applies to web-based email (yahoo, hotmail, etc) as well as work-based email. so you'd have a tough time showing any invasion of privacy. your best bet is to show that you were singled out for your political beliefs. however, as i said at the beginning, if your employer built a case to show that they fired you for legitimate non-discriminatory reasons, then you're SOL. on the upside, maybe you can use this opportunity to find work with an organization or company that shares your values. best of luck with whatever direction you choose.
It amazes me that some employees have no clue that e-mail and internet access at work is not privet. Do your personal stuff at home or the Library, I have friends that work in Human Resource Departments in major companies. I hear stories about the hours they have to spend going through e-mail, after someone is suspected of doing something wrong online. Remember that access belongs to the company, not you, it's not privet. They have to protect their business, so drug deals, porno, political activity and industrial espionage are what pops out.privet
Of this I am sure, you have only to endure, you have only to persevere to save yourself and those who depend upon you, you have only to go right on and at the end of the road however tortured and fraught with danger it may be you will find victory and honor.
Sir Winston Churchill to the England he so beloved.
Nothing is so unworthy of a civilized people as alowing itself to be governed without opposition by an irresponsible clique that has yielded to base instinct......Offer passive resistance, resistance wherever you may be forestall the spread of this atheistic war machine before it is too late, before the last cities...have been reduced to rubble....before the last young man has given his blood on some battlefield for the hubris of (these) subhumans
from a leaflet of the White Rose
http://www.jlrweb.com/whiterose/
Sir Winston Churchill to the England he so beloved.
Nothing is so unworthy of a civilized people as alowing itself to be governed without opposition by an irresponsible clique that has yielded to base instinct......Offer passive resistance, resistance wherever you may be forestall the spread of this atheistic war machine before it is too late, before the last cities...have been reduced to rubble....before the last young man has given his blood on some battlefield for the hubris of (these) subhumans
from a leaflet of the White Rose
http://www.jlrweb.com/whiterose/
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