Personal Memorabilia Violation
Verizon to vet: Flag out of sight, inside the cubicle only, thanks. Boston Herald:
U.S. and Massachusetts flags that flew with state National Guard troops over in Afghanistan are now at the center of an ongoing labor dispute between Verizon and a union trying to organize workers.
Terry Skiest, a Verizon employee and Massachusetts Air National Guard member, said his Acton supervisor ordered that two flags be removed last fall from the outside of his office cubicle and hung less prominently inside his work station.
The reason given: to comply with a workplace rule that bans personal memorabilia from being hung in “public places” at job sites.
“I just want to hang my flag” where it can be seen, Skiest, 46, a telecom-technician with Verizon Business told the Herald.
Verizon doesn’t deny that when Skiest returned from his second tour in Afghanistan, his flags had been moved inside his cubilce. But Verizon calls it much union ado about nothing.
… a spokesman said a union pushing to organize Verizon Business employees, including Skiest and his co-workers, is trying to “manipulate facts” and use “standard practice” tactics to attack Verizon during tense labor talks.
Peter Lucht, a Verizon spokesman, said the giant telecom company clearly isn’t against the American flag, having proudly hung many at hundreds of Verizon sites across the country. The company is only trying to enforce workplace rules, said Lucht, himself a former Army National Guard member. Lucht said Verizon has an “excellent” reputation of supporting employees who serve their country overseas.
Posted by Jules Crittenden at 12:15 pm on Thursday, February 7, 2008
2 Responses to “Personal Memorabilia Violation”
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February 8th, 2008 at 2:40 pm
I have to agree with Verizon on this one. I particularly don’t care for the union’s cynical use of this issue. If this patriot were allowed to breach the rules just because it is an American flag we are talking about, what is to stop someone using the same principle to fly, say, the Palestinian flag outside his cubical because he supports their cause? Principles are applied for a reason.
February 13th, 2008 at 12:12 pm
Office policies are there for a reason. (PERIOD) The fact that you can even display the flag in your cubicle is still a show of pride. Verizon is a company that takes pride in their employee’s and gives thanks to the military men and women serving our country. To degrade Verizon because a flag can not be hung outside of an employee’s cubicle is childish and shows the lack of appreciate for the company and all that Verizon has done for the many men and women serving in all the Armed Forces. Fortunately as a country we have the right to “Freedom of Speech”, but if you are going to berate Verizon, paint the true PATRIOTIC picture of Verizon and not just this little blog that shows how small minded you are when it comes to the REALITY of what Verizon has shown in appreciation for the services you have provided. There are many people that serve and come back to no jobs or fight to have to keep their jobs. Verizon is an outstanding employer that works with the military by showing appreciate to the employee’s and to the military men and women serving our nation. So stop making this about a UNION issue and show a little more appreciate for the job you have.