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Woman alleging firing over bumper sticker speaks out ( Air America update )
NCTimes.com ^ | 10 Mar, 2006 | TERI FIGUEROA

Posted on 03/11/2006 6:38:04 AM PST by Hillarys Gate Cult

SAN DIEGO ---- A Vista woman suing her former employer for allegedly firing her for having a bumper sticker on her car touting progressive talk radio made the rounds Friday on national and local radio shows.

During interviews Friday, Linda Laroca said her former employer later told her the comment about the firing was a joke, and asked her back to work.

Laroca, alongside her attorneys, made her first public comments about the suit during an appearance on the Stacy Taylor show on KLSD, 1360 AM, a local affiliate of the progressive talk-radio network, Air America.

Laroca also spoke later in the day on two syndicated programs: the nationwide Ed Schultz show (a part of the Jones network) and Air America's national Randi Rhodes show, with Sam Seder filling in as a substitute host Friday.

Laroca alleges in her suit that her former manager spotted the bumper sticker advertising Air America, told Laroca she could be a member of al-Qaida, and fired her on the spot.

Laroca said Friday that the woman, Beverly Fath, called Laroca the Monday after the weekend incident to ask Laroca why she was not at work.

Laroca said that when she told Fath that she had thought the former manager had fired her two days prior, Fath allegedly told her that the comments about the firing had been in jest.

Asked if she had mistaken her former manager's alleged comments, Laroca told the North County Times she didn't believe the woman had been joking.

"If she was, I didn't take it that way," Laroca said. "She wasn't smiling."

The North County Times has been unable to locate Fath for comment, and no one answered the door Friday at a home thought to be Fath's residence.

Laroca had worked for the company, Irvine-based Advantage Sales and Marketing Inc., about three weeks before the alleged incident occurred on Oct. 8 ---- Laroca's 52nd birthday.

A phone call to the company was received with a "no comment," and the attorney believed to be representing the company has not returned phone calls from the North County Times.

After the radio interviews Friday ---- including nearly an hour on Taylor's talk show, Laroca said she was surprised at the media attention her suit has attracted.

"Not one thing in my head could expect something like this," Laroca said.

After his show Friday morning, Taylor said Laroca's story struck a chord with his listeners, and the vast majority of his callers Friday wanted to talk about Laroca.

"The whole oppression of speech and expression has been a big theme of the show," Taylor said.

In her suit, filed Feb. 21, Laroca charges that Fath asked her to meet up in a grocery store parking lot on a Saturday to hand off some paperwork.

During that brief encounter, the lawsuit asserts, Fath allegedly pointed to the sticker ---- the only one on Laroca's small white convertible ---- and called it "that Al Franken left-wing radical radio station."

The nationwide syndicated radio programming from Air America, which describes itself as "progressive entertainment talk radio," features such show hosts as comedian and author Al Franken.

Laroca's suit claims that Fath also told the woman she could be a member of al-Qaida, then allegedly followed up with, "I am going to just have to fire you."

The conversation, Laroca said Friday, ended on that note.

Laroca said she got into to her car after the incident and sat stunned for a few minutes.

"I stewed about it for days," Laroca said, adding that she later decided to call an attorney to see if the case had merit.

Laroca said that after Fath told her the comments were in jest, the company later invited Laroca in writing to return to work or face losing her job. Laroca said she did not respond.

Laroca's suit is seeking lost wages and damages for wrongful termination for violations of both public policy and the state labor code. She is also claiming state constitutional violations and emotional distress.

The California labor code prohibits employers from controlling or directing the political activities of employees.

Contact staff writer Teri Figueroa at (760) 631-6624 or tfigueroa@nctimes.com.


TOPICS: Extended News; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: California
KEYWORDS: airamerica; commies; liars; losers; workplace
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I think her former employer has the right idea in keeping silent. If anything needs to be said, let his lawyer do it.
1 posted on 03/11/2006 6:38:11 AM PST by Hillarys Gate Cult
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To: Hillarys Gate Cult
"Not one thing in my head could expect something like this,"

At least the first five words of this statement are accurate.
2 posted on 03/11/2006 6:43:31 AM PST by HEY4QDEMS (No animals were harmed during the creation of this post.)
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To: HEY4QDEMS

six words


3 posted on 03/11/2006 6:44:08 AM PST by HEY4QDEMS (No animals were harmed during the creation of this post.)
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To: Hillarys Gate Cult

Hard to say exactly what happened here but the employer made an inappropriate remark and by saying he was firing her for being a leftie he left himself open to a lawsuit.

Everyone around here would be freaking out, calling the guy's office and emailing the owners if they had fired a guy having Rush is Right or NRA sticker on his window claiming violation of free speech.


4 posted on 03/11/2006 6:46:55 AM PST by misterrob (Islam is a hate crime)
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To: Hillarys Gate Cult
HMMMM! If scare America is "... progressive talk radio..." is conservative radio regressive talk radio?
5 posted on 03/11/2006 6:47:01 AM PST by TexasRedeye
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To: Hillarys Gate Cult
Some quick Air America notes to save some searching.

Al Franken confirmed that AA's NYC station WLIB is on solid ground, meaning all employees should update their resumes, ASAP.

Cleveland drops Jerry Springer bringing their total number of affiliates to 85, and shrinking. It was one of their highest rated shows for all AA. Atlanta could be the next to drop AA.

A good number of AA contracts with stations come up for renewal in the next few week so expect to see some major turnover soon.

6 posted on 03/11/2006 6:47:15 AM PST by Hillarys Gate Cult (The man who said "there's no such thing as a stupid question" has never talked to Helen Thomas.)
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To: Hillarys Gate Cult

First, Air America is not a reliable source and the other "sources" listed have a listening base of what? Second, are there such things as Air America Stickers? Third, does this alleged woman exist? Finally, if she does exist, it sounds like a too lazy to work law suit.


7 posted on 03/11/2006 6:50:09 AM PST by Steamburg (Pretenders everywhere)
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To: Hillarys Gate Cult
She was only on that job for three weeks??
8 posted on 03/11/2006 6:50:09 AM PST by Ken522
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To: Hillarys Gate Cult
Al Franken confirmed that AA's NYC station WLIB is on solid ground, meaning
all employees should update their resumes, ASAP.


Well, if WLIB (and/or other AA affiliates) fold, I think we need to
have an Enron-style Senate investigation to see if Franken was
just pulling a Ken Lay.
(pumping up the enterprise even when he knew it was heading down
in flames)
9 posted on 03/11/2006 6:51:19 AM PST by VOA
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To: Hillarys Gate Cult
and called it "that Al Franken left-wing radical radio station."

Well let's see. According to recent trends this woman should be fired for having "offensive" material displayed on her vehicle. How many people have been banned from their employer's parking lots for having Confederate flag symbols on their cars. In one case a man was fired for having a Confederate flag symbol on his personal tool box.

All the liberals jumped on screaming that an employer should be able to decide what it did and didn't want on its private property. And didn't we keep telling them, HGC, that it was coming to their neighborhood soon? You just can't deny freedom to one person without risking your own.

10 posted on 03/11/2006 6:51:19 AM PST by PistolPaknMama (Al-Queda can recruit on college campuses but the US military can't! --FReeper airborne)
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To: misterrob
Hard to say exactly what happened here but the employer made an inappropriate remark and by saying he was firing her for being a leftie he left himself open to a lawsuit.

SHE was probably just joking about firing this lady...but she should have known that many liberals have no sense of humor, especially about any issue that concerns measures of self-worth. Most liberals that I know are pretty insecure people, and would be too quick to believe they were actually being fired.
11 posted on 03/11/2006 6:51:57 AM PST by beezdotcom
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To: TexasRedeye

Conservative Radio is Retroactive which is way cooling than progessive


12 posted on 03/11/2006 6:53:19 AM PST by usmcobra (I always sing Karaoke the way it is meant to be sung, drunk, badly, and in Japanese)
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To: Ken522
Things like that make this whole story smell, as I don't even think we're getting half of it. Why would one even need to fire someone who has been at a job for that short of time. Is there no probationary period?
13 posted on 03/11/2006 6:53:32 AM PST by Hillarys Gate Cult (The man who said "there's no such thing as a stupid question" has never talked to Helen Thomas.)
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To: Hillarys Gate Cult

The goofy lib woman overreacted.

Typical of libs.


14 posted on 03/11/2006 6:54:37 AM PST by Supernatural (Lay me doon in the caul caul groon, whaur afore monie mair huv gaun)
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To: Hillarys Gate Cult
Laroca said Friday that the woman, Beverly Fath, called Laroca the Monday after the weekend incident to ask Laroca why she was not at work.

If it wasn't a joke, why did her manager call her about not coming to work?

Laroca must have a "progressive" sense of humor, i. e., none.

15 posted on 03/11/2006 6:56:44 AM PST by DeFault User
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To: Hillarys Gate Cult
I did the same thing.

I had a cleaning lady down in south Florida that showed up one day with "Hillary 08" and "Buck Fush" bumper stickers on her car.

I told her that I would not be needing her cleaning services any longer. She asked why. I told her because of them damn bumper stickers. She left.

No lawsuit so far.

16 posted on 03/11/2006 6:58:08 AM PST by cowboyway (My heroes have always been cowboys.)
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To: Steamburg

The fact of the sticker indicates a profound degree of mental defecativeness, which translates into "too stupid to work"


17 posted on 03/11/2006 6:58:35 AM PST by GSlob
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To: Hillarys Gate Cult

Is Three weeks enough time to collect welfare and unemployment?

As well as a big fat check for emotional injuries?


18 posted on 03/11/2006 7:00:18 AM PST by usmcobra (I always sing Karaoke the way it is meant to be sung, drunk, badly, and in Japanese)
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To: Hillarys Gate Cult
Laroca said that after Fath told her the comments were in jest, the company later invited Laroca in writing to return to work or face losing her job. Laroca said she did not respond.

Okay, this seems strange. It's more likely that the boss told her what she did and Laroca got upset and went home. Laroca then concocted this plan of revenge.
The only firing threat occured when she went AWOL from her job.
19 posted on 03/11/2006 7:01:16 AM PST by RandallFlagg (Roll your own cigarettes! You'll save $$$ and smoke less!(Magnetic bumper stickers-click my name)
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To: Steamburg
Second, are there such things as Air America Stickers?

I see 'em in Boulder, Colorado a lot. I usually point and laugh.
20 posted on 03/11/2006 7:03:45 AM PST by RandallFlagg (Roll your own cigarettes! You'll save $$$ and smoke less!(Magnetic bumper stickers-click my name)
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