Christian 'fired for refusing to wear '666'

[Still Waters]

A devout Christian factory worker was fired after he refused to wear a 666 sticker he feared would doom him to eternal damnation, a lawsuit has claimed.

Billy E. Hyatt says he was fired from Pliant Corp, a plastics factory in northern Georgia, near Dalton, after he refused to wear a sticker proclaiming that his factory had been accident-free for 666 days.

That number is considered the 'mark of the beast' in the Bible's Book of Revelation describing the apocalypse.

Hyatt, who said he's a devout Christian, had worked for the north Georgia plastics company since June 2007 and like other employees wore stickers each day that proclaimed how long the factory had gone without an accident.

But he grew nervous in early 2009, as the number of accident-free days crept into the 600s.

Read more...

[Mr Right Wing]

Rolf

In full fairness his religion does tell him not to receive the mark of the beast.

[veledran]

It's only a sticker. If the employee felt it was against his religion, I don't see the big deal in giving him a one day pass on it.

[Keel M.]

In order to receive the mark of the beast, it would have to be on written (tattoo?) his forehead or right hand. Stickers don't count, so he was kinda being ridiculous.

[randym23]

though I think firing him was a bit harsh, (should have just written him up and a series of infractions would have been a much more valid reason) , I think that he was being ridiculous too.

this story smells a bit fishy to me. It seems as if there is some information is missing to it.

I can't imagine an employer firing someone for that.

[BiffSplitkins]

I bet the 420 days accident free sticker was a big hit at the plant though.

[Cassea]

It's only a sticker. If the employee felt it was against his religion, I don't see the big deal in giving him a one day pass on it.

I agree, what is the big deal. And surely they had to realize the implications of that number.

[voidla]

Is it wrong if I found this story quite funny?

I see where the man is coming from, but it's XXX days accident free, not 666 Support The Devil Day.

[_Only]

The end is nigh!

[George Ford]

There would be outrage and possible violence if you tried to get a muslim to wear some sort of 'evil' symbol.

This person did right to stick to their guns, his bosses should have put it down to an OCD or some other mental illness. I hope he is able to sue the pants off them!

[Mr_Snstr]

though I think firing him was a bit harsh, (should have just written him up and a series of infractions would have been a much more valid reason) , I think that he was being ridiculous too.

this story smells a bit fishy to me. It seems as if there is some information is missing to it.

I can't imagine an employer firing someone for that.

I agree, I have no doubt there is more to this story.

I think: Bottom line no one liked this guy, maybe wasn't even a good worker. First excuse to get rid of him that popped up and they jumped on it.

[+HerNibs]

I wonder if any other employee "forgot" to wear their sticker in the other 665 days? In our office of 10 employees it's hard to get them to remember to do the dishes five days in a row.

If the answer is yes, out of "X" number of employees, EVERY one of them wore their sticker EVERY day then sure, write the guy up. Otherwise, management needs to get over it.

I would HOPE there is more to the story and that the company didn't fire a good employee over this.

Nibs

[Beckys_Mom]

Hyatt says he told a manager that wearing it would force him 'to accept the mark of the beast and to be condemned to hell'

I would have fired him too for acting like this.. If the rest were told to wear it.. he has no business objecting ...

[BiffSplitkins]

He should have just peed his pants on the 665th day and told everyone it was an accident. That way the workplace would have never been 'accident' free for 666 days.

[sam12six]

I hate it, but the guy seems to have a good case. He took a voluntary 3 day suspension from work to avoid the scary sticker and was later fired for no further incident (according to the story).

The only thing I can imagine (and it's pure conjecture) is that the type of person to make that big a deal out of such an innocuous sticker might have made a similar big deal out of other things and they were just sick of him.

[Beckys_Mom]

He should have just peed his pants on the 665th day and told everyone it was an accident. That way the workplace would have never been 'accident' free for 666 days.

Leave it to you Biff lol

[Mr_Snstr]

I wonder how much money they've saved being accident free for almost two years compared to how much spent buying silly stickers for all their employees.

[randym23]

I bet the 420 days accident free sticker was a big hit at the plant though.

lol that religion would be Rastafarianism.

[Grandpa Greenman]

If the story is what he said it was the company was wrong, but I think Georgia is a right to work state and they can fire you because they don't like the color of your hair. I would be interested in how it pans out in court. Most of Georgia is Bible belt.

[Copasetic]

If the story is what he said it was the company was wrong, but I think Georgia is a right to work state and they can fire you because they don't like the color of your hair. I would be interested in how it pans out in court. Most of Georgia is Bible belt.

In deed. Georgia is an At-will employment state, your employer can fire any reason; be it good, bad or none given. So long as you are not under contractual agreement with them.

Edited November 21, 2011 by Copasetic

[eight bits]

Well, yes, Georgia employment law is a little behind Saudi Arabia's, but in his complaint,

http://www.courthousenews.com/2011/11/16/666.pdf

Mr Hyatt says the magic words,

This action is for religious discrimination and retaliation arising under Title

VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 as amended, 42 U.S.C. §2000e, et seq.

And so, Georgia law goes bye-bye. That's what happens when you lose a Civil War.

The smartest comment I've seen on this case is from, of all places, CBS News, who had a high-profile HR professional, Suzanne Lucas, look it over.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505125_162-57328145/666-firing-when-demanding-compliance-costs-you-a-fortune/

As a manager, you may have an employee make requests that seem ridiculous. Before you shout, "I'm the boss!" and "because I said so!" stop and think, "what's the worst thing that can happen here?" because if it's a very strange request, or an inconsequential one, the worst from saying no may be worse than the worst from saying yes.

Pliant Corp. should have agreed to let Mr. Hyatt go a day sticker free. If they had, no one would be talking about them and they wouldn't be facing an expensive lawsuit. (Win or lose--fighting lawsuits costs money.) And no one at the plant would even remember the day when one person didn't wear his sticker.

Plus, of course, it isn't alleged that the manager said "I'm the boss!" or "because I said so." Supposedly, dude made a crack about Mr Hyatt's religion.

And so, Pliant to its attorney: Here's one hundred K, make it go away!

In a tragic footnote to this story, the real number of the beast is 616, not 666. Mr. Hyatt had already been damned to Hell seven weeks before.

[Cassea]

I agree. At will employment doesn't apply to protected classes which include religious beliefs.

[__Kratos__]

He didn't believe god would protect him from lord Lucifer?

[Beckys_Mom]

He didn't believe god would protect him from lord Lucifer?

Now there's a point if ever I saw one

[mytee]

I don't blame him I wouldn't wear that sticker either