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Holy crap, what's next??? Let's see...redheaded people are more prone to skin cancer, so maybe they should fire and not hire redheads. Well, heck, while we're at it, let's just fire all the women, since they are prone to breast cancer...

Yep, I'm a smoker and what I do on my own time is no one's business but MINE. To fire the employees that smoke is discriminatory, plain and simple.

tmbsgrl wrote: A Michigan company's decision to dismiss workers who smoke, even if it's on their own time, has privacy and workers' rights advocates alarmed and is raising concerns about whether pizza boxes and six packs are the next to go.



Weyco Inc., an Okemos-based medical benefits administrator, said its offer of smoking cessation classes and support groups helped 18 to 20 of the company's nearly 200 workers quit smoking over the past 15 months.



But four others who couldn't - or wouldn't - no longer had jobs on Jan. 1.



"We had told them they had a choice," said Weyco Chief Financial Officer Gary Climes. "We're not saying you can't smoke in your home. We just say you can't smoke and work here."


I'm highly surprised. Your employment laws allow this? Here it would be sure grounds for an action for unfair dismissal and consequent compensation award.

How on earth are they gonna police this one........set up camera's in every employees home. Am sure there's a human rights issue there! Anyway, i'm sure people would find a way round that one.

Here in Scotland they're inflicting the Ban on public places next year but i don't think the government would get away with at home also. Yes, smoking is a huge health problem but so is obesity ...........and i've heard smoking especially in women is associated with being slim/tend not to eat as much. Who wins?

Busybee :-6

Smoking is out of style....period. its only for your health to rid of butts, no butts about it.

yep.. there is a bill in the state legislature here to ban smoking in all public places.. bars, taverns, private clubs.. etc. there is already no smoking in restaurants. I can see there point.. that people that work there are just as likely as a smoker to get lung cancer... but.. they are not being forced to work there.. what is next.. a ban on smoking anywhere in public period.. and btw.. I am a reformed smoker.. quit years ago...

They are not being forced to work there? It would be nice if there were that many jobs out there that non smokers could choose to work in a smoke free environment.

I can see saying no smoking at work, but at home, my life is MY life, my time is MY time.

Nope they are not being forced to work there.. I don't recall seeing a chain attaching them to the bar.. .. and don't say that there are not enuff jobs for them to work at that are non-smoking.. I bartended for many years.. but it was not the smoke that drove me out.. it was the dealing with drunken idiots at 3am ..

Believe it or Not, they even have NO Smoking Cops in Ireland.

Didja ever notice that the new anti smoker zealots, have an uncanny resemblance to the old Puritans, inquisistioners, and witch burners. That they use the same old arguments, and get the same pleasure in relagating the "un clean, ungodly, to a lower social strata ?