How did you quit Smoking cigarettes?

That's already been adjudicated several years ago in California. A large grocery company passed a "no smoking at any time anywhere" rule and was talking about doing saliva testing.
The company wanted a totally tobacco free work force. No smoking at work and no smoking anywhere else either.
You could hear the lawyers howling from one end of the state to the other.
The first court case was the last. The rule was challenged as being discriminatory, unconstitutional, and a basic violation of civil rights. It took the judge about fifteen minutes to throw the case out of court.

 

In most cases - yes. You can thank "right to work" laws. I think 15 states have "lifestyle defense" laws that restrict how much an employer can reach into an employee's personal life, but from what I've seen the language is amorphous at best.

If the employee hired on and signed an agreement stipulating the employee would not do XXX at anytime, then the employee does XXX, it's open and shut. Most times what the employer does is raise the insurance rates of all smokers, then if someone marks "I don't smoke" and gets caught smoking, it's an easy and justifiable termination.

Don't get me wrong - I think an employer should have no influence or control of behavior outside of work that does not directly impact the employer. But what I think should be legal and what is legal are different horses.

 

Which is a #### steep and slippery slope in my opinion. What's next, riding a motorcycle? Having a pool? Being a gun owner? Statistically speaking, all of those activities are dangerous, but there isn't a #### thing wrong with any of it. I like my bike, my pool, and my guns.

 

The only way to change this direction is to limit the scope of "right to work" and more clearly define contracts between employers and employees.

Also, welcome back. Are you still teaching?

 

Yep!

 

I know this is an old post, but how I did quit smoking? Used to smoke 1-1 1/2 packs a day when I was in my twenties. Went into a gas station to actually buy some and an old jr high school friend was behind the counter. When he recognized me, asked me if I wanted a job as he got his call back from layoff and was going back to Boeing. I said sure, started working there. This was the old days, we had a manual cash register, had to keep track of every item sold on a tally sheet and had to count the money before and after every shift this station was at such a busy location, I never had two minutes of peace there! I would light a cig, then have to put it in the ash tray to help a customer, a long line of customers, everybody always came in all at the same time there! By the time I got back to my cig, it had all burned up in the ash tray. So I'd start the cycle again, and about every time I tried to smoke working there, I'd only get one puff per cig. I finally woke up and said to heck with this, and never looked back or had the desire to smoke cigarettes again. Plus, I was saving my money by not buying them, and this was back when they were $1 a pack! And nowadays they're $10 a pack for name brand?? Get more for your money by smoking mother nature!
And believe it or not, the name of that gas station was Getty Oil. They don't exist here in the Midwest anymore.
And that's my story how I was able to kick the habit!

 

A dollar a pack for name brands you say? That was back in the 1900's lol

 

Sheeiit, how about the 70's.
Grew up in a trailer court that had a Mack dealer about four blocks away. At that time, their big deal was the diamond Rio that actually had a little diamond embedded in the bottom of the mirrors (didn't know if it was a real diamond or just looked like one, heck we were kids and they always left the trucks unlocked so we would go into the shop area (nobody paid us any attention) and buy cigarettes at the vending machine for 10¢~that's right, 10¢ a pack! Then we'd climb into the coffin box sleepers in the new trucks and just chill and smoke. Those were the days.

 

Hope you wear a brain bucket while riding that scooter! Semper Fi!

 

Always.