Amazon.com’s Whole Foods Market doesn’t want to be forced to let workers wear “Black Lives Matter” masks and is pointing to the recent US Supreme Court ruling permitting a business owner to refuse services to same-sex couples to get federal regulators to back off.

National Labor Relations Board prosecutors have accused the grocer of stifling worker rights by banning staff from wearing BLM masks or pins on the job. The company countered in a filing that its own rights are being violated if it’s forced to allow BLM slogans to be worn with Whole Foods uniforms.

Amazon is the most prominent company to use the high court’s June ruling that a Christian web designer was free to refuse to design sites for gay weddings, saying the case “provides a clear roadmap” to throw out the NLRB’s complaint.

The dispute is one of several in which labor board officials are considering what counts as legally-protected, work-related communication and activism on the job.

  • Blake [he/him]@feddit.uk
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    1 year ago

    Do workers have the right to refuse to be associated with something that the company want them to display on their dress code? For example, a corporate sponsor? If no, why do companies deserve more rights than people?

    • Saik0@lemmy.saik0.com
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      1 year ago

      Do workers have the right to refuse to be associated with something that the company want them to display on their dress code?

      Yes… by leaving/quitting/etc…

      • Blake [he/him]@feddit.uk
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        1 year ago

        So that’s a no, then - you don’t have a right for something if you have to leave the system to exercise the right. For example you wouldn’t have the right of freedom of speech if I said “yeah you can say whatever you want if you leave the country!”

        So, why do companies deserve more rights than people?

        • Saik0@lemmy.saik0.com
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          1 year ago

          So, why do companies deserve more rights than people?

          They don’t… It’s their property. Just like you would have a right to ask someone to leave your property at anytime for any reason.

          • Blake [he/him]@feddit.uk
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            1 year ago

            Okay so imagine that you’re on Elon Musk’s private jet, 36000 feet in the air, and he asks you to strip down into a thong and perform an erotic dance for him. It’s his property, he has the right to tell you what to wear. If you don’t like it, you’re free to leave; of course. Do you think that’s acceptable?

            • Saik0@lemmy.saik0.com
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              1 year ago

              Yes you would have a right to leave at any time. Failure on Elon’s part to allow you off the craft promptly and in safe manner would literally be kidnapping or unlawful detention. Which I believe would be up to 3 years of imprisonment… and generally a felony.

              Also, would probably be soliciting and probably a whole slew of other illegal actions here if that situation would occur.

              Did you think you had a gotcha there?

              • Blake [he/him]@feddit.uk
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                1 year ago

                So, if Elon puts you into a position where you have to choose between following his rules or risk to your health and safety, it’s kidnapping, unlawful detention, etc. but if Amazon puts you into a position where you have to choose between following their rules or risk your health and safety, that’s completely acceptable?

                Do you not realise that you completely walked back on your “my property, my rules” claim?

                • Saik0@lemmy.saik0.com
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                  1 year ago

                  but if Amazon puts you into a position where you have to choose between following their rules or risk your health and safety,

                  Care to elaborate on how not wearing a pin/mask with specific decoration is risking health and safety?

                  • Blake [he/him]@feddit.uk
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                    1 year ago

                    You got that a bit turned around, there.

                    Choose between following their rules (not wearing a pin/mask) or risk your health and safety (lose your income, health insurance, ability to provide food/shelter for your family)

                • Saik0@lemmy.saik0.com
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                  1 year ago

                  Care to elaborate? Or are we just going to drive-by name call and add nothing to the conversation?

                  I don’t think I am… That situation doesn’t even apply to this story. This would imply that workers don’t have access to the dress code prior to starting the job, which I’ve already shown isn’t the case (somewhere… might not have been in this particular thread). This stupid situation would make more sense if Elon told you that in order to fly with him you needed to dress like a stripper prior to getting on the plane… then you get on the plane and get mad when he ejects you for not being in proper uniform.

                  You call it pedantic… but EVEN in this stupidly constructed case… it’s a dumb premise and it’s clear that the right persists regardless.