Law firm fires 14 employees for wearing orange shirts

[kingwilly]

Law firm fires 14 employees for wearing orange shirts


By Eric Pfeiffer

Janice Doble, in the orange shirt that got her fired (Michael Laughlin/Sun Sentinel)They weren't wearing sagging pants or revealing clothing. But dressing in an orange shirt is apparently enough to get fired at one Florida law firm, where 14 workers were unceremoniously let go last Friday.
In an interview with the Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel, several of the fired workers say they wore the matching colors so they would be identified as a group when heading out for a happy hour event after work. They say the executive who fired them initially accused them of wearing the matching color as a form of protest against management.
Orange is widely considered to be one of the most visible colors to the human eye. Orange vests are worn by most hunters as a safety precaution and by school crossing guards. Most prisoners are required to wear orange jump suits.
The color orange is arguably Florida's defining color. The self-described "Sunshine State" is widely known for its orange juice exports.
The law offices of Elizabeth R. Wellborn, P.A. offered "no comment" to Sun-Sentinel reporter Doreen Hemlock, but four ex-employees tell the paper they were simply wearing their orange shirts to celebrate "pay day" and the upcoming Friday group happy hour.
"There is no office policy against wearing orange shirts. We had no warning. We got no severance, no package, no nothing," Lou Erik Ambert told the paper. "I feel so violated."
Ironically, had the employees been wearing orange as a form of protest, it would have been illegal to fire them, ABC News reports.
[Related: Fla. aims to be first state to drug test public workers]
After the 14 employees were fired, an executive said anyone wearing orange for an "innocent reason" should speak up. At least one employee immediately denied any involvement or knowledge of a protest and explained the happy hour color coordination. Nonetheless, they were still fired.
"I'm a single mom with four kids, and I'm out of a job just because I wore orange today," Meloney McLeod told the paper.
[Related: High cost of multi-tasking]
And there's really nothing anyone can do about the terminations since Florida is an at-will state, meaning employers can fire an employee who doesn't have a contract "for a good reason, for a bad reason or even for the wrong reason, as long as it's not an unlawful reason," Eric K. Gabrielle, a labor and employment lawyer at Stearns Weaver, told the Sun-Sentinel. Gabrielle said there was no apparent violation of the law in this case.

[Cujo]

more to this than meets the eye I suspect.

[harrybarracuda]

And there's really nothing anyone can do about the terminations since Florida is an at-will state, meaning employers can fire an employee who doesn't have a contract "for a good reason, for a bad reason or even for the wrong reason, as long as it's not an unlawful reason," Eric K. Gabrielle, a labor and employment lawyer at Stearns Weaver, told the Sun-Sentinel. Gabrielle said there was no apparent violation of the law in this case.

That's nice, isn't it? I didn't realise Florida was still run by obnoxious, thieving Republican c*nts.

[Dan]

And there's really nothing anyone can do about the terminations since Florida is an at-will state, meaning employers can fire an employee who doesn't have a contract "for a good reason, for a bad reason or even for the wrong reason, as long as it's not an unlawful reason,"

Those goddamn socialists with their stranglehold over the natural entrepreneurial genius of the American people. It's about time Washington did away with all this red tape and bureaucracy and let the wealth-creators do what they do best.

[Jesus Jones]

more to this than meets the eye I suspect.

Agreed, sounds like they were trying to make a point that backfired.

Of course, having a back-up plan would make sense should it do so!

[ltnt]

That's nice, isn't it? I didn't realise Florida was still run by obnoxious, thieving Republican c*nts.

What effect has this on you Harry? You are a Brit, right? Good law, poor applications it appears. Without further detailed information I would reserve my condemnation. As posted you have every right to say anything you want Harry. Enjoy the senseless flaming.

[harrybarracuda]

That's nice, isn't it? I didn't realise Florida was still run by obnoxious, thieving Republican c*nts.

What effect has this on you Harry? You are a Brit, right? Good law, poor applications it appears. Without further detailed information I would reserve my condemnation. As posted you have every right to say anything you want Harry. Enjoy the senseless flaming.

It gets boring having to explain every single fucking line to lazy fucking morons.

FFS read a fucking book or a newspaper once in a while, will ya?

Richard Lynn "Rick" Scott (born December 1, 1952) is a businessman and the 45th and current Governor of the U.S. state of Florida. He served in the U.S. Navy and then went into business. He earned a business degree and law degree and joined a Dallas firm where he became partner. His net worth was almost $219 million USD in 2010, but by 2011 was estimated at $103 million. He spent an estimated $78 million of his own money on his successful 2010 run for Governor of Florida.

In 1987, at age 34, he co-founded Columbia Hospital Corporation with two business partners; this merged with Hospital Corporation of America in 1989 to form Columbia/HCA and eventually became the largest private for-profit health care company in the U.S. He was forced to resign as Chief Executive of Columbia/HCA in 1997 amid a scandal over the company's business and Medicare billing practices; the company ultimately admitted to fourteen felonies and agreed to pay the federal government over $600 million.Scott later became a venture capitalist.

Do you get it? Obnoxious, thieving, Republican, C**t?

Which bit are you trying to disagree with?

[ltnt]

That's nice, isn't it? I didn't realise Florida was still run by obnoxious, thieving Republican c*nts.

What effect has this on you Harry? You are a Brit, right? Good law, poor applications it appears. Without further detailed information I would reserve my condemnation. As posted you have every right to say anything you want Harry. Enjoy the senseless flaming.

It gets boring having to explain every single fucking line to lazy fucking morons.

FFS read a fucking book or a newspaper once in a while, will ya?

Richard Lynn "Rick" Scott (born December 1, 1952) is a businessman and the 45th and current Governor of the U.S. state of Florida. He served in the U.S. Navy and then went into business. He earned a business degree and law degree and joined a Dallas firm where he became partner. His net worth was almost $219 million USD in 2010, but by 2011 was estimated at $103 million. He spent an estimated $78 million of his own money on his successful 2010 run for Governor of Florida.

In 1987, at age 34, he co-founded Columbia Hospital Corporation with two business partners; this merged with Hospital Corporation of America in 1989 to form Columbia/HCA and eventually became the largest private for-profit health care company in the U.S. He was forced to resign as Chief Executive of Columbia/HCA in 1997 amid a scandal over the company's business and Medicare billing practices; the company ultimately admitted to fourteen felonies and agreed to pay the federal government over $600 million.Scott later became a venture capitalist.

Do you get it? Obnoxious, thieving, Republican, C**t?

Which bit are you trying to disagree with?

The part that has nothing to do with the thread. Do you ever bother to keep it in context of the topic?

I think you must like pissing on an electric fence sometimes Harry just for the shock of it!

"A man only learns in two ways, one by reading, and secondly, by association with smarter people."

Strap that one on Harry.

[harrybarracuda]

The thread is about a typically white rich boy's law that means they can exploit people for peanuts and hire and fire at will.

Why the fuck do you think that was the bit I quoted when I remarked on it?

Dimwit.

[ltnt]

Again Harry, you read this as a "rich white boy," entitlement issue? Seriously? The article was about the firing of a law office employees who donned orange T-shirts for an after working hours happy hour at a local bar in Florida. It referred to the 'No cause law," for termination of employees in Florida. The article was poorly written. All the facts to this case were not presented.

so in your mind its a article dealing with entitled rich white boys taking advantage of a law to rid themselves of poor employees. Quite a segway Harry. Are you by chance wearing your tin foil hat today? In any case Harry keep em coming, its just a story not life and death.

[Cujo]

If we lost 14 people in one fell swoop we would be fucked, the sytem would fall to pieces.
Hope that firm is having trouble now.

[ltnt]

If we lost 14 people in one fell swoop we would be fucked, the sytem would fall to pieces.
Hope that firm is having trouble now.

Perhaps, but then again maybe those who were let go were causing the firm to go under? Can't tell by the report in the news article. All the facts are not present.

[harrybarracuda]

so in your mind its a article dealing with entitled rich white boys taking advantage of a law to rid themselves of poor employees. Quite a segway Harry. Are you by chance wearing your tin foil hat today? In any case Harry keep em coming, its just a story not life and death.

The item I quoted referred to a law that allows an employee to fire people for next to no reason. A quite obviously Republican law.

It was that I was discussing, and hence only that part I quoted.

If you can't keep up, stop trying. Either you agree that the law is obviously favouring the rich and powerful, or you don't.

And by the way, this is a Segway. I don't own one, so I have no idea why you are impressed with it.

[robuzo]

Based on the date of the article they were wearing orange shirts on the eve of St. Patrick's Day. Coincidence?

Another thing I'm wondering about is that while Florida is an "at will" state, that applies only to employees without contracts. Some law firm hired 14 people to work in their offices and presumably have contact with confidential material but had no contract with them? Just brought 14 people in off the street and had them sign confidentiality agreements? Hmm. Now they have to hire 14 and train more people. . .I'm guessing, and admittedly this is only a guess, that these people were brought in by a temp agency, and their "firing" amounted to telling them not come in on Monday, but while the reason given was "mass wearing of orange" what really happened is the firm wanted to give the agency that sent them the shove. I don't know any of this for sure, just trying to make sense of it. It is hard to believe that letting go of 14 trained staff makes any practical sense because they can't all have been disruptive or bad workers.
No job security for most people in the US. I guess people like a society where the majority are living on the edge.

[harrybarracuda]

Based on the date of the article they were wearing orange shirts on the eve of St. Patrick's Day. Coincidence?

<snip>

I guess people like a society where the majority are living on the edge.

Interesting point about the shirt colour!

On your last one, no, the wealthy like a society where they don't have to pay compensation for treating workers like shit.

I think that's why labour laws eventually got enacted.

If the Republicans and the Tories had their way, we'd be back in Victorian times, and there wouldn't be a minimum wage.

Now watch for the Blah Blah Blah Rush Limbaugh megaditto etc, etc, etc.

[FarangRed]

Was Holland playing ?

[robuzo]

Next Netherlands friendly not til May.

[robuzo]

Based on the date of the article they were wearing orange shirts on the eve of St. Patrick's Day. Coincidence?

<snip>

I guess people like a society where the majority are living on the edge.

Interesting point about the shirt colour!

On your last one, no, the wealthy like a society where they don't have to pay compensation for treating workers like shit.

I think that's why labour laws eventually got enacted.

If the Republicans and the Tories had their way, we'd be back in Victorian times, and there wouldn't be a minimum wage.

Now watch for the Blah Blah Blah Rush Limbaugh megaditto etc, etc, etc.

And we'd have children working again. . .oh, wait Newt Gingrich: Child Labor Laws Are 'Stupid'

[lom]

All the facts are not present.

Then please spill the beans

[ltnt]

so in your mind its a article dealing with entitled rich white boys taking advantage of a law to rid themselves of poor employees. Quite a segway Harry. Are you by chance wearing your tin foil hat today? In any case Harry keep em coming, its just a story not life and death.

The item I quoted referred to a law that allows an employee to fire people for next to no reason. A quite obviously Republican law.

It was that I was discussing, and hence only that part I quoted.

If you can't keep up, stop trying. Either you agree that the law is obviously favouring the rich and powerful, or you don't.

And by the way, this is a Segway. I don't own one, so I have no idea why you are impressed with it.

Seque: Smooth transition from one place to another.
My spelling error.

You need to stick to your script Harry. Everytime you get corrected you seque away to a different understanding of your message.

As there being a specific knowledge that this law was only intended for the use by and for Republicans against poor people, I dare say that holds about as much credibility as Al Gore and his invention of the Internet.

Nowhere in the article was there a reference to any law being strictly a "Republican Law." You are reading so much more into subjects here that your reality is being blurred by the shamals blowing outside your dorm room.

My curiosity is always on the alert mode when you reply as one never knows where the next post will take you. Does your employer know how much time you spend cranking out these dismal thoughts and pronouncements on the internet? You've gotta be on here 24/7. Since your a professed IT Geek type I dare say your among the craftiest on any foreign assignment.

Anyway the last time there were voters in Florida I seem to remember the majority of them came from a two party system. In a democracy and according to the laws of the USA the one with the most votes wins on a ballot. Unless its Presidential. In this case a law change was the subject on the ballot. The new law was voted in and approved by a majority of the citizens of Florida. If they don't like the law they can return to the ballot box in a new vote and try to change it.

Where's the confusion Harry? How's it work in Jolly Old England? You have elections and ballot measures. They are placed on ballots regardless of their political party affiliation. I would hesitate to say that all approved measures are popular and get passed, but due to the nature of the public ignorance and steadfast allegiance to a specific political party, numerous bills get passed although they offend some segment of the society.

Since you are not a citizen of the USA and have no right to vote in any election or on any ballot measure in the state of Florida, it seems to be a bit of a waste of your indignation on this clouded report by an incomplete and seriously flawed news report. Does Napoleon reside in your neighborhood by any chance Harry?

I'm not wasting my time with you further.

[harrybarracuda]

Seque: Smooth transition from one place to another.
My spelling error.

I'm afraid I don't know anything about 1980's programming languages either.

So if I may segue to your last point, ignoring the bollocks in between:

I'm not wasting my time with you further.

Thank fuck for that.

[robuzo]

Seque: Smooth transition from one place to another.
My spelling error.

I'm afraid I don't know anything about 1980's programming languages either.

So if I may segue to your last point, ignoring the bollocks in between:

I'm not wasting my time with you further.

Thank fuck for that.

Had no idea "seque" had any meaning at all.

And with that, I bid you good day sir!

[Fabian]

The thread is about a typically white rich boy's law that means they can exploit people for peanuts and hire and fire at will.

Sounds like a great idea to me. The only flaw I see is that employees could decide to leave without advance notice too.

[harrybarracuda]

The thread is about a typically white rich boy's law that means they can exploit people for peanuts and hire and fire at will.

Sounds like a great idea to me. The only flaw I see is that employees could decide to leave without advance notice too.

What's the betting they can be sued?

[harrybarracuda]

Seque: Smooth transition from one place to another.
My spelling error.

I'm afraid I don't know anything about 1980's programming languages either.

So if I may segue to your last point, ignoring the bollocks in between:

I'm not wasting my time with you further.

Thank fuck for that.

Had no idea "seque" had any meaning at all.

And with that, I bid you good day sir!

And as an added bonus, you learned how to spell three new words today.