Posted on 10/21/2002 11:48:03 AM PDT by rochester
Rochester, NY - A Greece man, who was fired a few days ago from Eastman Kodak, said giving his opinion in an e-mail lead to his termination. Kodak's diversity group sent out an e-mail asking employees to "be supportive" of colleagues who choose to come out on Gay and Lesbian Coming-Out Day. Rolf Szabo replied to the memo telling the company not to send him this type of information and that he found it "disgusting and offensive."
"I said it and I meant it. I'm not going to take it back," Szabo said.
Although Szabo does not condone the gay lifestyle, he said this isn't a gay issue. Rather, he said, it's an issue of Kodak crossing the line via e-mail.
"I don't need this to do my job. It has nothing to do with gay. It could've been any other topic. It's just that enough is enough. We really don't need this to do our jobs," he said.
Szabo said Kodak wanted him to sign a letter admitting he was wrong. He said after he refused, he was fired. A Kodak spokesperson said Kodak won't comment about personnel issues, but did say that any issues related to the treatment of employees are universal.
Szabo, who had been with Kodak for 23 years working with metals, said he'll get legal advice whether his rights were violated.
Labor and Employment attorney Matt Fusco said that he thinks Szabo has very few options and no chance of winning a lawsuit because employers cannot discriminate.
"If an employer goes a step further and promote diversity--you have no right to oppose that policy," Fusco said.
"The Eastman Kodak Company gives me a paycheck; they don't own me. I'll go somewhere else for a paycheck, that's all," Szabo said.
Whether or not he ends up filing a lawsuit, Szabo said he will pursue the issue claiming Kodak is wrong for catering to a select group versus a larger Kodak community.
From a purely profit-and-loss perspective (the only legitimate one in business), they DO have a fiduciary business in encouraging homosexual men to come out of the closet--because the average health insurance cost for a homosexual man is several times that of his straight counterpart. Kodak is going to get billed higher premimums if these people stay on headcount long enough.
However, this only works if it's legal to terminate them once they come out. It isn't now. But it will be at some point in the future, because the HMOs will donate veritable dump truck loads of money to political candidates that will vote to do this.
You have to pity the gay and lesbian community--the love that dare not speak its name now has no idea when to shut the f**k up, and said failure to STFU will end up being used against them.
If I were to implement a policy that all employees would have to sign a paper that they agree with and have to abide by the teachings of the Old Testament of the Bible would I be within my rights??
I know your answer - the real question is why the religion of "no religion" is allowed special compensation.
d.o.l.
Criminal Number 18F
After hearing about your Gestapo-like tactics in firing Rolf Szabo, a long time employee for objecting to your diversity/homosexuality emails, you can rest assured that my family will not purchase any Kodak products including Ofoto.com.
I will also make sure everyone on my substatial mailing list receives this information, with encouragement to send it on. If you have such a limited scope to your diversity, that you cannot stand a dissenting opinion....well you diserve to lose business.
It looks like a win win for me and Fuji!
And Go Dawgs! I had to throw that in seeing you are a "Tiger".
I'm sorry this man lost his job, but he did the right thing by refusing to sign a letter of apology. I hope he files a massive lawsuit against Kodak and wins.
Hmm... I knew a Szabo in high school. Wonder if that is his father.
From a Rochester area news report: A Greece man, who was fired a few days ago from Eastman Kodak, said giving his opinion in an e- mail lead to his termination. Kodak's diversity group sent out an e-mail asking employees to "be supportive" of colleagues who choose to come out on Gay and Lesbian Coming-Out Day. Rolf Szabo replied to the memo telling the company not to send him this type of information and that he found it "disgusting and offensive."
I will no longer be purchasing any Kodak products or services, including the use of Ophoto services. Your corporate decision to gut the free speech of Mr. Szabo in favor of the freedom to "come out of the closet" for others in your organization is rephrehensible.
Diversity is supposed to be the acceptance of *all* viewpoints and personal backgrounds, not the exclusion of some to the enhancement of others.
I saw some of the effects of their mismanagement first-hand when I worked there this summer.
What about when the employer "goes a step further and promotes" bestiality, or sadism, or pedophilia? It's all just diversity, right?
Disgusting.
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