I Was Fired Today, For My Bumperstickers!!!

What comedian was it who said, "I like bumper stickers, they're like little shortcuts that say hey let's never hangout."
???Lmao

As for your stickers, I don't know how old you are but if you want a job in certain areas you have to exercise personal restraint and maturity. I have political and religious views that would ruffle feathers, yet I am employed because I don't talk about that stuff at work and I don't advertise it on my person or possessions. Bumper stickers with politically incendiary comments (specifically the pedophile one) at a daycare center will obviously cause parents and proprietor concern.

I really don't think that most posters are divided over politics. Sheesh I have 3 anti-Bush bumper stickers on my car, but I still agree with those that say it showed poor judgement.

The fact is people are honestly AFRAID of what might happen to their children when they leave them with "strangers". Heck, I don't have kids, I am not even fond of children but I can understand that.

If I took my animals to the vet I would surely freak if one of the vet techs had bumper stickers making fun of dog fighting, or saying "Free Michael Vick" or some such thing. Animal abuse happens more often than one would think at vet clinics (animals don't talk, yet they can be quite difficult when they are frightened or in pain, at least sex offenders get on a registry, animal abusers do not). I feel vulnerable when I must leave my animals in the care of strangers for even a few minutes, just like people feel vulnerable when they leave their small children at the mercy of strangers.

This is not about politics. The bottom line is it freaks people out when something so serious is joked about in an environment where it COULD EASILY HAPPEN.

I do feel sorry for the OP, and I hope she finds a better job very soon.



[edit on 13-5-2008 by Sonya610]

You should have really thought about the consequences of that bumper sticker especially working in a day care center. No owner of such a center is going to have their reputation tarnished by an employee with such politcal views. Certainly you have the right to express them, but most people would find those stickers offensive. I am one of the most liberal people around, and I find them to be offensive. The men I work with always say that if I find it offensive the it IS offensive, and nothing much offends me. Sorry OP but I would have done the same exact thing. You were too much of a liablity to the center. Remember for every action there is a reaction. I guess you found that out the hardway today!

Originally posted by Maxmars
The problem is, once you cite a cause, you open yourself up for a complaint, if the employee so chooses to file.

Giving this person bad advice is not helpful at all IMO. I highly doubt a local daycare even falls under Federal Law. In fact I know for a fact it does not. Firstly it is not an Interstate business and it would have too few employees anyway.

To the OP,

You have no recourse. An offensive bumper sticker is plenty of cause to terminate. Don't be misled by bad advice from ATS members. You might find an less than honest attorney willing to stick you with their legal fees for a case that would never see the light of day; but why would you want to waste money?

Even if you did get to court; any idiot could fill the witness stand with people willing to honestly say they would find the sticker offensive and would not do business with a daycare that allowed the its owner to care for their children.

Please don't take this the wrong way, but that sticker is hate speech that would offend many if not most people. You are literally calling all Republicans Old Pedophiles. It does not get much more offensive than that.

Bottom line is, that business in no way would come under Federal Law's designed to apply to large Corporations doing business in multiple states. Anyone telling you different is wrong and doing you more harm than good.

Forget about that job and move on with your life. You got your rant off your chest and you should forget about it. That business had every right to terminate you and I have to wonder if you are being completely up front about the conversation.

A BUSINESS IS NOT A PUBLIC ENTITY. They can throw you off their property any time they wish; just like a homeowner can. Your stickers and anything you say can drive customers away. In this case people are trusting you with their tiny children. How would they ever know you would not pass on your radical points of view in their children's presence.

I have myself fired someone for radical speech in the office. He went to the Labor Board. The Boards representative and me had a good laugh and they file 19ed the complaint. In fact I probably could have brought a valid case for harassment of the other employees and interfering with the conduct of my business. The Board-member said this nut had a long history of filing such complaints and had apparently never held a job for more than a few weeks. He made himself a joke to the Board by his own behavior.

I've lost count of the number of times someone has mistakenly assumed that the actions they have seen against large scale employers applies to small business. If it did, nobody would ever again be able to start a business. They just don't seem to get that a business is privately owned and as of yet; the government has no right to dictate who we can or can not hire or fire.

Find a business owned by people who are in line with your view and you will be far happier anyway. Unemployment is very low nationwide and plenty of businesses are running short handed. That is good for you as they are willing to hire people with little or no experience. It is an Employees Market out there right now. If you are unfortunate enough to live in one of the small area's were unemployment even exists right now, you may have to consider moving where the work is.

I love it when people think "free speech" is a one-way street.

You have the right to express yourself, but so does your employer!

Before you take this to court, you have to ask yourself:

What are the odds of drawing a republican judge?


If this is the sort of case that goes to a jury in your state, how many jurors will agree with your views?

Or will you be asking them to overlook the content of your speech, and uphold its sanctity regardless.

Your employer already failed the test, but maybe the average schmo off the street in your town will be different.

You are of course free to express yourself with really tasteless bumperstickers carrying profanity and just general ugliness aimed at all persons different from yourself. And when it comes back to bite you, you can even blame your employer for having differing opinions, and not wanting you to cost them business.

But don't be surprised when the speech is free but the consequences are not.

Part of growing up means taking responsibility for your own acts. C'mon, those stickers could probably get you hired at a starbucks or a bar or a headshop. But a daycare??? If the teenager who babysits our kids had those bumperstickers on her car, I'd find a new one.

And not because of her politics.

But because of her inappropriateness and belligerance. (And the sheer number of bumperstickers, which says "I smoke pot and listen to loud music while you're out at dinner).

All the best, and I hope you find a better job now that you're looking.

I must say I belive everything has been covered here, so anything I say will just be a re-hash of others thoughts.. But I will quote something that rings true..

Posted by RRconservative---You have the right to express yourself, but so does your employer!

In all my years here I have never agree'ed with this member. However with this issue we are on the same page here.
Dr. Strangecraft also made many great points! Stars all around for those words of wisdom!

Posted by Dr_strangecraft
You are of course free to express yourself with really tasteless bumperstickers carrying profanity and just general ugliness aimed at all persons different from yourself. And when it comes back to bite you, you can even blame your employer for having differing opinions, and not wanting you to cost them business.

posted by Blaine91555...
You have no recourse. An offensive bumper sticker is plenty of cause to terminate. Don't be misled by bad advice from ATS members. You might find an less than honest attorney willing to stick you with their legal fees for a case that would never see the light of day; but why would you want to waste money?

Working in a day care with children, you honestly should have known better than mention anything about child molestors.
It was in bad taste, and costed you your job. While I am somewhat compassionate to you for the loss you face.
I would hope next time you take this as a learning exp. Move on and dont let your bad judgement cause you any more greif.

Its just a waste of time and money to try to sue..
Move on, and learn from this mistake..

I just know if I was a parent and came to pick up my kids and saw a bumper sticker like that.. I would be upset..
As prehaps I have no clue to what a GOP is.. When I do..
Yet most people dont know.. They might think you are in support of that idea.. When clearly I know you are fully aginst it.
Yet many dumbed down Americans will make up their own mind.
And bring a lynch mob, and burn the witch!!!
Ya know what Im saying dear?

And at the end of the day, its not your butt in the sling.. Its the people who put time and money into that daycare that would get the brunt of this issue. They gave you the boot to protect their investment.. Their place of income.. IF they just let you come in daily with that sticker.. then it reflects upon them.. And deeply I may add.
Your biz is only as strong as those you employ. Those those who work for you reflect upon what you do.
And honestly Im not shocked one bit by what happened to you..
I would be shocked if they let you keep your job with those kind of crass bumperstickers.. Personally I have never put a bumbersticker on anything I drive!! To me its crass..


But do know, with this many replies to your post, we do care, and wish you the best


[edit on 13-5-2008 by zysin5]

Wow! To the OP,

There's nothing better then life's experience to let you know what a tiny tiny tiny little fish you are in this very very big ocean! lol Ever heard the old saying "Your rights end where my nose begins"? Well this is a classic example of that. You have the right to state your views anyway you want to, but as soon as you violate the reasonable peace of mind for the other guy you've crossed the line. Here's another example that might just put things in perspective for you. I am a nurse, I think some old ppl smell funny, but how would it make you feel if I said that outloud around your grandmother when I was about to insert a catheter in her? You'd probably be outraged when you saw the hurt expression on her face and you felt the distrust she would then have in me. The fact is no matter what your views are, or how it was presented it scared ppl and that's not fair to them. I do wish you luck in finding another job, and now you know that sometimes our political views are better kept in political forums.

I have to agree with the majority here. It probably had very little to nothing to do with your political leanings or beliefs. You had a bumper sticker on your car, outside of a daycare, that said in big letters the word pedophile. The person who interviewed you probably didn't see it when he/she parked next to your car. You really shouldn't waste your time pursuing any action. Oh yeah, and you have WAY too many bumper stickers, we get it. I understand and share your dislike for Bush and his gang, but that is overkill big time, plus it brings alot of unwanted attention to your vehicle and people try and read every one, which likely caused the smokers outside to read the pedophile sticker and freak out. I can't blame them, if somebody doesn't have a firm understanding of politics, they wouldn't get what you were trying to say.

It's my understanding that companies with fewer than 16 employees do not have to meet federal standards in such matters as discrimination or free speech.

You may wish to contact an attorney if you believe you were harmed; most trial lawyers don't charge for an initial consultation.

Frankly, though, I don't believe most juries would be understanding of employees who were fired over bumperstickers in a daycare center's parking lot when the remarks are such that many would find offensive. In the minds of most people, I would think, daycare centers don't fit into the same template as, say, Home Depot.

That really blows. I found the bumper stickers to be quite amussing myself.
Sounds like you were working for redneck hillbillies. Most of them are stupid and only care about hunting, fishing (which is really the same as hunting, but different game), mudding and other redneck hillbilly things. Rednecks ar dangerous, I try to stay away from them. I'm a Christian and if I were to go with a political side (I think they're all crooks except for Ron Paul w00t!) I'd go with the republican party though, I still agree with and think your bumper stickers are funny, you have freedom of speach and you were fired for it. That is illegal to fire someone for something like that. Any person who owns a tv knows what the GOP is and if they didn't then they could probably figure out base on your other bumper stickers that it has something to do with politics, not sexuality.

Hope everything works out for you,

-Jimmy

So, GOP = Gay Old Pedophiles?

I'm sorry, but that bumper sticker is inappropriate to be having on your car when you are working in a place with children.

It's like parking your car in front of a Synagogue with a Neo-Nazi bumper sticker, or driving through a black neighborhood with a KKK bumper sticker.

I admit, I am in a bit of a quandary over this, since I strongly believe in freedom of speech, but to me, pedophilia is not a joking matter.

When I was a teen ager, I was raped by an older man. I'm 56 years old now, so this was back in 1969, and back then, there was no counseling for me when I needed some psychiatric therapy for help in dealing with this issue.

When I wanted to talk to a shrink, they would just prescribe tranquilizers and send me home.

Back in the 1960s and 1970s such things were never talked about, and it was usually covered up, and when it happen to male children, then we were told that it was our fault, because boys were not suppose to be vulnerable, or so, it was believed back then.

Although it was many years ago, the trauma of it never really goes completely away. It's something that can stay with you for life.

I believe that pedophiles deserve the death penalty. Anyone who harms children deserves to die.

Now, maybe you shouldn't have been fired, but rather, given a chance to remove the offending bumper sticker. I don't know all the circumstances.

Perhaps the "fat" redhead might have been traumatized when she was a child. Again, I don't know.

I'm also offended by any negative references to fat people, because I happen to be a fat person myself.

It's also a well know fact that many young victims (not all) of rape or pedophilia tend to become obese in later years as a result of emotional issues.

And by the way, not all pedophiles are necessarily gay either.

You must conform. You must take their number. You must make your appearance bland. You must hide your views and beliefs.

Then and only then can you obtain work and pit your skills against those of others in a chosen field and eventually work your way up. IF you work harder than everyone else, and schmooze plenty. Then you will grow old and no one will listen to you anymore. You will run out of money if you didn't save and then die.

This is the human life cycle in the US from adulthood on. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.

The thing about it is you just started work there and the other employees didn't have a clue about you or your feelings about those bumper stickers. I think if they would of gotten to know you as a person then nothing would of happened to you. Pedophiles are no laughing jokes when it comes to watching, touching, changing diapers etc... Good luck in the future and may you have a good journey that inspires people around you and yourself.

This would be the easiest jury to voir dire if you were the defendant's attorney.

What would you expect to win from a case like this anyway? Enough to retire on? HA!

They gave you a full days pay anyway. Consider yourself lucky for getting paid at all to learn a lesson.

Originally posted by hotbakedtater
Here are the links to my bumperstickers, I am not sure I posted the link right.
i85.photobucket.com...
i85.photobucket.com...
i85.photobucket.com...
i85.photobucket.com...

So you parked a car with a "pedophile" bumper sticker at a childcare center and didn't expect any fallout?

I'll say no more, least I be offensive.

Im not one to usually say this, so please dont get too angry, but I believe you "Kind of" got what you had coming. I mean, making jokes, or talking about pedophiles at all in a place where small children are cared for is a huge mistake, I'm not surprised in the slightest at your outcome.

That said, this "fat redhead" as you call her may have over-reacted as well, but you disrespecting her in that manner in your message to all of us here at ATS leads me to think "ok we arent getting the full story".

I'm neutral on the subject right now, simply because we are being told only one side of the story, and your lack of professionalism doesnt help either

Either way, next time you start a job, maybe you should stick to tasteful humor, if any at all. I mean, your not going to walk up to a stranger on the street and tell them a racist joke are you? That is essentially what you did, your first day of work, with a new person...

Just my opinion

I wanted to make one last statement. What if you had your own daycare you just bought and set up. You have an awesome playground and a nice kitchen. You have all the beds and sleeping mats. You have the best toys to play with and tons of books to read to them. It a wonderful place and you put the sign out that says " So & So's Daycare Open" People start coming by to take a look, but one thing stands out among all the wonderful stuff at this daycare. There's a car parked there that has "GOP= Gay Old Pedophiles" on it. I wonder how many will sign up and leave their child there?

If I was the owner of that day care I would have fired you immediately as well not only for the bumper sticker but for your lack of common sense.

You're probably not going to like my comment but, I have to say that I'm on the side of the Day Care Centre.

It's really in bad taste to joke about Pedophillia, Rape and some other crimes. Put it this way, it's about time we had some morals brought back into our society. Pedopillia is disgusting to say the least.

If you were a rape victim and I had a sticker on my car joking about Rape, you wouldn't like it very much and I wouldn't blame you. If you were my Boss you'd probably like to fire my ass too.

I know you call it free speech and think you're entitled to say whtever you want but if you do, don't expect everyone will go along with it or even like what you have to say. Joke or no-joke..