Can your employer tell you to remove...

[PatsGirl]

I will give my opinion when OP tells us what the bumper stickers says.

 

[alldiz]

I agree. Let's say the OP worked for GM or Ford and had a bumper sticker that said "American cars stink!" I should think the employer would have the right to ask the employee not to park in the company parking lot.

DH told me in the past before the foreign cars were very popular.....the american car companies did not want Foreign cars parked in the parking lot.
Kerri

 

[Carly_Roach]

You could NOT be more wrong. .

The First Amemdment only provides that the government can not censure your speech, except in very limited circustances.

Employers, friends, family, etc can tell you to "shutup" all day long and it is not a violation of the First Amendment.

Once again- it is only a violation of the First Amendment if it is the government censuring/suppressing your speech.

I'll agree with this. Regardless of what the bumper sticker says the employer can dictate whether or not that bumper sticker will be displayed on his property. Freedom of speech only applies to government entities.

As far as the ACLU wanting to know about this, the reality is that court battles are long, costly and emotionally draining. You may feel you're in the right. You may feel you'd win a court case. But the reality is that you're still out of a job and will soon have a reputation for suing an employer.

If you were harrassed, molested, physically battered or intensely emotionally damaged from an employer/employee relationship, I could understand girding yourself up for a court battle that could last for a year or two. But doing the same for a bumper sticker?

 

[In a hurry]

I'll agree with this. Regardless of what the bumper sticker says the employer can dictate whether or not that bumper sticker will be displayed on his property. Freedom of speech only applies to government entities.

As far as the ACLU wanting to know about this, the reality is that court battles are long, costly and emotionally draining. You may feel you're in the right. You may feel you'd win a court case. But the reality is that you're still out of a job and will soon have a reputation for suing an employer.

If you were harassed, molested, physically battered or intensely emotionally damaged from an employer/employee relationship, I could understand girding yourself up for a court battle that could last for a year or two. But doing the same for a bumper sticker?

No kidding. People need to lighten up. Not everything is worth suing over.

 

[LotsOfQuestions]

I'll agree with this. Regardless of what the bumper sticker says the employer can dictate whether or not that bumper sticker will be displayed on his property. Freedom of speech only applies to government entities.

As far as the ACLU wanting to know about this, the reality is that court battles are long, costly and emotionally draining. You may feel you're in the right. You may feel you'd win a court case. But the reality is that you're still out of a job and will soon have a reputation for suing an employer.

If you were harrassed, molested, physically battered or intensely emotionally damaged from an employer/employee relationship, I could understand girding yourself up for a court battle that could last for a year or two. But doing the same for a bumper sticker?

Better than that...

• She would be out of a job.
  
• The ACLU wouldn't take the case because the driveway owner would be completely within his rights to ask her car not to be parked in the driveway while the bumper sticker was on it. The ACLU is not stupid. They don't take cases where there is no wrong doing.
  
• And if she did find a lawyer to take it to court, a judge would throw the case out immediately because there was no wrong doing.

So..no job, no court case, and she earned a bad reputation.

It's private property. What is so hard to understand about that? Just like you have the right to control what your front yard says, the driveway owner has the right to control what his own driveway says, whether he owns it or leases it.

IF the boss had asked her to remove the bumper sticker period with no other options, then she might have a case. But he did not. He just said that the bumper sticker could not be in his driveway.

She still has every right to keep and display her bumper sticker in public parking areas, so no freedom of speech issues. Just not in the boss's driveway.

Elementary my dear DISers

 

[ford family]

DH told me in the past before the foreign cars were very popular.....the american car companies did not want Foreign cars parked in the parking lot.
Kerri

True.
Years ago when making calls on the finance departments of the car manufacturers around Detroit for an American bank we would always go back and change our car rental to match the make of the next meeting.

ford family

 

[ameraumi]

I showed this thread to a friend who works in HR and her thoughts on this was different. She said since the owner is Leasing his office space, thus leasing so many spots in the parking lot for employees, he does not have the right to tell someone to park in a different spot. Now if OWNED the area that is different.

 

[Sugardimples]

I think this is a freedom of speech issue. I'd call the ACLU with this question.

 

[In a hurry]

I think this is a freedom of speech issue. I'd call the ACLU with this question.

I'm sure they don't have anything better to do...

 

[Sugardimples]

I'm sure they don't have anything better to do...

This is why they exist. They would be able to give counsel on this situation. The answer may well be that the employee has the right to do this, but they would know and wouldn't just be conjecturing.

 

[LotsOfQuestions]

I showed this thread to a friend who works in HR and her thoughts on this was different. She said since the owner is Leasing his office space, thus leasing so many spots in the parking lot for employees, he does not have the right to tell someone to park in a different spot. Now if OWNED the area that is different.

It is not the parking lot, it is the driveway.

 

[LotsOfQuestions]

I think this is a freedom of speech issue. I'd call the ACLU with this question.

No.

Read the rest of the thread.

And study civics 101.

There is no freedom of speech issues. Whether owned or leased, it is still private and not government property.

 

[LotsOfQuestions]

a bumper sticker from your car?

Today my employer mentioned to me that he does not know if he can allow me to continue to park my vehicle in the driveway of our place of employment (we rent the building, we are the only company in the building) because of a bumper sticker I have on my car.

I showed this thread to a friend who works in HR and her thoughts on this was different. She said since the owner is Leasing his office space, thus leasing so many spots in the parking lot for employees, he does not have the right to tell someone to park in a different spot. Now if OWNED the area that is different.

1. It is the Driveway, not the parking lot
2. Only company in building, so no shared spaces with another company
3. Boss still not sure, directive may actually be coming from the actual owners of the property.
   
   Still - as mentioned by several posters - freedom of speech is only impacted by government entities - not private property issues.

 

[Mom2Nick]

I totally agree. At Will Employee does not mean that you can be discriminated against. This would fall under Freedom of Speech and the ACLU would love to take the case.

The only reason I can see you boss asking you to remove it, would be if you worked for a political organization.

That's only if the employer tells her he is firing her for not removing it or if she can PROVE without a doubt she was fired for the bumper sticker.

 

[NY Disney fan]

If the bumper stickers said "Bush/ Cheney 2004" he is well within his right to fire her.

 

[CathrynRose]

I will give my opinion when OP tells us what the bumper stickers says.

I cant beleive we still havent heard what it says???


If it's unpostable - you probably should take it off the car, as well.

 

[SeeVee]

I think this is a freedom of speech issue. I'd call the ACLU with this question.

Go back to Government 101 class. Your right to free speech can ONLY be violated by the government.

 

[HunnyPots]

I cant beleive we still havent heard what it says???


If it's unpostable - you probably should take it off the car, as well.

Good point! If you can't even tell us what it says... well then there ya go!

 

[Keggy]

1st of all - I hate threads where we aren't given the whole story....

2nd of all - your boss is within his rights to tell you to remove it.

Lastly - when you are fired, they won't tell you that you are being fired for refusal to remove the bumper sticker. You are working in a at will employment state - they don't need a reason.

 

[NotUrsula]

I've been watching this thread, and I'm pretty convinced that the bumper sticker in question has to be related to abortion, and that the OP probably doesn't want to say so because it will start a heated debate here.

Legal or not, I wouldn't air my opinion on the subject at work -- this one is a career minefield if your position is one that your employer or even just your boss disagrees with. It is as loaded as an issue can be, and even if I were within my rights I simply wouldn't want someone in power to use it against me. You might not get fired, but your work life can easily become a living hell.