Councilman Wants To Ban Smokers From City Jobs

[The Straight Story]

Councilman Wants To Ban Smokers From City Jobs

POSTED: 12:34 pm EST February 6, 2006
UPDATED: 12:37 pm EST February 6, 2006

A Central Florida councilman wants to ban people who smoke from taking any city jobs, according to a Local 6 News report.

Councilman Richard Contreras wants to ban smokers from taking jobs at City Hall, parks and even with the police department in Melbourne, Fla.

Current workers would not lose their jobs but applicants would be asked about tobacco use and smokers would be dropped from consideration, according to the report.

The reason given for the policy is to cut on health care costs, according to the report.

http://www.local6.com/news/6786475/detail.html

[Crazy Dave]

1. I worked for an employer who paid you $0.50 more an hour....

if you put on your application that you were a non-smoker, on and off the job. If you got caught lying about it or actually caught smoking, he'd take away $1.00 an hour from you.

[MrModerate]

2. 'Scuse me, and I ain't pretending to be a lawyer, but . . .

Wouldn't that be illegal?

[BushOut06]

3. Not sure, but it's been done before

I know there are police departments (believe one in South Florida) that doesn't even allow off-duty smoking. The rationale is that smoking-related health care costs city governments too much $$$. Not really sure if I like this line of logic, but that's what it is.

[Crazy Dave]

5. As I mentioned below

Another Florida county under the rule of Prince Jeb Bush

[MrModerate]

I know of cases in the private sector . . .

Where they'll deny health insurance if you take a drug test (irony of ironies) and it comes up positive for nicotine metabolites.

But I'd think denying employment in the public sector would be prohibited.

Any legal beagles out there care to weigh in?

[Crazy Dave]

4. Illegal Smegal!

We've got King George's brother down here. If Jeb's brother doesn't believe in following the law running the nation, why should he when it comes to running the state. Especially if the laws don't agree with his moral or political views.

[China_cat]

9. Nobody seems to remember where Jebby

'invested' the tobacco settlement the state got...the money that was supposed to fund state pensions.

Enron.

[Freddie Stubbs]

6. No, there aren't any laws protecting smokers

[MrModerate]

8. I wouldn't think you'd need a law protecting smokers per se . . .

But smoking -- like, shall we say, wearing paisley -- is not illegal. I'd think that violates some law or the other (again, we're talking public sector employment, which I've always thought was bound by more rules).

[The Straight Story]

10. Sadly so much in life has become solely about money

And this is just the start of letting costs rule how we live our lives and what we do. Drinkers miss more work than non-drinkers and have more health issues. So alcohol may well be nixed next.

On and on it goes, where it stop nobody knows...

[jojo54]

7. IMHO, it's called discrimination.

There was one company that made big news about 8 months ago - the difference is they were firing current employees, even if they smoked away from the office. Ahh, excuse me, but that's invasion of privacy and discrimination in my book.

[spunky]

11. I hate this kind of garbage. Either make it illegal, or stfu.

And I love how they say we have more medical bills and miss more work. I went to the doctor once last year, and that was to get a prescription for sinus medication because the OTC stuff makes my heart race.

Oh, and I miss less work than anyone in my office. Outside of my regular vacation time, I think I missed about 4 days last year.

[The Straight Story]

12. Like I have said before, this is just the start

Love of money and it's power will lead to more curtailing of what we little peon's can do, it's like the civil war in reverse and without violence. Erode rights one by one, ensure the worker can only do what the master says, and over time you will virtually own the people.