While the 1st Amendment doesn't protect against private retaliation for speech, many states have legal restrictions on firing people for their opinions, especially when the opinion does not impact the employer in any way.
According to a Chicago Sun-Times article linked by the Powerline blog, Millennium Information Services fired one Steve Gardner because he said that John Kerry was a poor commander in Viet-Nam, having served under him for Kerry's entire four-month tour of duty.
Twenty-four hours later, Gardner got an e-mail from his company, Millennium Information Services, informing him that his services would no longer be necessary. He was laid off in an e-mail -- by the same man who only days before had congratulated him for his exemplary work in a territory which covered North and South Carolina. The e-mail stated that his position was being eliminated. Since then, he's seen the company advertising for his old position. Gardner doesn't have the money to sue to get the job back.Hope to see Steve get the legal help he needs. Millenium Information Services is headquartered in Illinois.
The article says that Gardner resides in South Carolina, and worked in a territory that covered both Carolinas. I doubt that Illinois law would help him. At the least, his former company deserves all the bad publicity it gets, and then some.
Posted by: Xrlq at November 29, 2004 01:06 PMIt depends where the decision to fire him came from. My money is on the head office, as that's who the Kerry people would have leaned on.
Posted by: Kevin Murphy at November 29, 2004 01:22 PMEmail his former boss Steve Pietrzak at custservice@Millinfo.com and tell him how pathetic his treatment of Mr. Gardner is.
Posted by: not how a vet should be treated at November 29, 2004 03:08 PMPossible, but doubtful. It strikes me as unlikely that the State of Illinois would care if a nationwide company fired a South Carolina resident in a manner in conformity with South Carolina law. Conversely, if Gardner's termination was NOT in accordance with South Carolina law, Millennium would not have a "but we're headquartered somewhere else!" defense.
Posted by: Xrlq at November 29, 2004 04:30 PMwell, he said North and South Carolina, so it's even more muddled.
Posted by: Kevin Murphy at November 29, 2004 06:29 PMOr not complicated at all, depending on whom one chooses to believe.
Posted by: Xrlq at December 1, 2004 12:33 AMThere may be more to this than meets the eye. Check this out.
Posted by: Uncle Bill at December 1, 2004 04:18 PM