Pushback against blacklists: Man sues Trader Joe’s for firing him for not getting COVID shot
The religious are 2nd class citizens at Trader Joe’s
Don’t comply: When Trader Joe’s instituted a rule requiring all managers to get the COVID shots, Greg Crawford , a manager there for 26 years, instead got the company to grant him a religious exemption.
The company’s upper management however then banned him from all management meetings, essentially crippling his ability to do his job.
[T]he grocery store’s regional manager informed Crawford that only vaccinated employees would be permitted to attend a required Leader’s Meeting in August; failure to attend the meeting would negatively affect Crawford’s performance review.
The manager also told Crawford that this was a decision by company President and that “There was nothing further to discuss.” The company was essentially penalizing Crawford for his religious beliefs. Under this arrangement, he had no future with the company and would soon either be forced to resign or be fired.
Crawford did not back down, however. Instead, he contacted the non-profit Pacific Justice Institute (PJI), which specializes in defending those whose civil liberties are being violated. The institute had a staff attorney send a letter to Trader Joe’s, pointing out that the company’s actions were discriminatory and that there were numerous ways it could accommodate Crawford, either by getting him tested just prior to the meeting or by attending remotely.
The response? Trader Joe’s immediately fired Crawford for going outside the company to obtain legal help and for taking an “adversarial perspective.” The company claimed he should have pursued the issue from within the company, even though he had already been told that the matter was settled and no further discussion by them would be considered.
PJI is now suing Trader Joe’s on behalf of Crawford, demanding “back pay, front pay, compensatory damages, punitive damages, attorney’s fees, costs of suit, a declaration that Defendant violated his rights.” You can read their complaint here [pdf]
Whether Crawford will win his case is of course unknown. The important thing is that he is fighting back. His action will make Trader Joe’s think twice about doing the same thing again to some other employee. The publicity will also harm them, and might also make other companies hesitate before also acting like jackbooted thugs.
Lawsuits like this must happen, again and again and again and again. The control freaks who can’t tolerate dissent and are now willing to literally destroy those who disagree with them must begin to feel real pain for their narrow-minded and oppressive behavior. Only some hard pushback will get them to stop, and allow everyone else to finally go back to freely pursing happiness, as each of us chooses to do so. This freedom is the fundamental component of American life, and these vaccine brownshirts are trying to destroy it.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The print edition can be purchased at Amazon. from any other book seller, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit.
The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
The religious are 2nd class citizens at Trader Joe’s
Don’t comply: When Trader Joe’s instituted a rule requiring all managers to get the COVID shots, Greg Crawford , a manager there for 26 years, instead got the company to grant him a religious exemption.
The company’s upper management however then banned him from all management meetings, essentially crippling his ability to do his job.
[T]he grocery store’s regional manager informed Crawford that only vaccinated employees would be permitted to attend a required Leader’s Meeting in August; failure to attend the meeting would negatively affect Crawford’s performance review.
The manager also told Crawford that this was a decision by company President and that “There was nothing further to discuss.” The company was essentially penalizing Crawford for his religious beliefs. Under this arrangement, he had no future with the company and would soon either be forced to resign or be fired.
Crawford did not back down, however. Instead, he contacted the non-profit Pacific Justice Institute (PJI), which specializes in defending those whose civil liberties are being violated. The institute had a staff attorney send a letter to Trader Joe’s, pointing out that the company’s actions were discriminatory and that there were numerous ways it could accommodate Crawford, either by getting him tested just prior to the meeting or by attending remotely.
The response? Trader Joe’s immediately fired Crawford for going outside the company to obtain legal help and for taking an “adversarial perspective.” The company claimed he should have pursued the issue from within the company, even though he had already been told that the matter was settled and no further discussion by them would be considered.
PJI is now suing Trader Joe’s on behalf of Crawford, demanding “back pay, front pay, compensatory damages, punitive damages, attorney’s fees, costs of suit, a declaration that Defendant violated his rights.” You can read their complaint here [pdf]
Whether Crawford will win his case is of course unknown. The important thing is that he is fighting back. His action will make Trader Joe’s think twice about doing the same thing again to some other employee. The publicity will also harm them, and might also make other companies hesitate before also acting like jackbooted thugs.
Lawsuits like this must happen, again and again and again and again. The control freaks who can’t tolerate dissent and are now willing to literally destroy those who disagree with them must begin to feel real pain for their narrow-minded and oppressive behavior. Only some hard pushback will get them to stop, and allow everyone else to finally go back to freely pursing happiness, as each of us chooses to do so. This freedom is the fundamental component of American life, and these vaccine brownshirts are trying to destroy it.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The print edition can be purchased at Amazon. from any other book seller, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
Of course, Trader Joes, like Whole Foods (AKA Whole Paycheck) is the darling of the Lefties, who overpay for so called “:organic” items (I have a degree in Chemystery and “organic” refers to a class of compounds which contain carbon (horrors!) atoms. Anything humans can metabolize is organic)
The control freaks who can’t tolerate dissent and are now willing to literally destroy those who disagree with them must begin to feel real pain for their narrow-minded and oppressive behavior.
In most cases, though, the primary control freaks won’t do their own dirty work – they draft businesses like Trader Joe’s into the role of enforcers, some (like it appears with Trader Joe’s) willingly, some not so much. The Fauci types don’t face pushback for doing this – the shareholders do, but since shareholders are considered “privileged” on the intersectionality diagram, there are few who will stand with them and help push back.
This is why the left hates religious people. Faith gives them the courage to render unto Caesar only what is Caesar’s. The narcissistic left can’t stand ‘NO’ for an answer.
Now I’m sorry that I’ve never shopped at any of those trendy, leftist markets because my boycott of Trader Joe’s won’t mean anything.
One point of Attack on a retailer is to take the register reciept from another competitor and mail it or copies(hardcopies) to your local store manager, district manager or President of the Corporation and tell them why you spent your money else where……
BEE very polite, in this day of electronic correspondence: sending paper copies is something they cannot ignore…. easily.
And the More units that show up on their desks the better……
One Good Use of the USPS, better than Amazing ZON(k) and the Washington Post it supports..(Bezos Property).
I’ve been in a Traitor Joe’s – ONCE! Overpriced virtue signaling at it’s finest – a “poor man’s” Wholey Foods”! They do have some unique products, but I’d never pay that kind of price to try something that most likely tastes like crap! The store I went to is in a large Southern city, but the atmosphere and employee appearances made me feel like I was an intruder in their liberal world! Like I said, I’ve been to a TJ’s – ONCE!
I can’t argue with much here…. It’s a bit ingenious to say (quote). ” but I’d never pay that kind of price to try something that most likely tastes like crap!”…. If you have never tried it, you can’t really comment on the taste.
Otherwise I’m 100% behind this guy. I’m currently sitting in Amsterdam airport, (kinda) wearing a mask, having showed my papers, passport, and Swedish ID card… And I’m kinda getting peed off with this. Corona is getting less and less deadly, as viruses tend to do, yet restrictions are increasing again here over the pond, many stores in the cash cow that is airports closed, and worst of all, I was refused visiting time with my father as he is in hospital. I was granted a 20 minute facetime call with him Xmas day, but no chance of a face to face visit. Only allowed under “end of life circumstances”. He is 83 and can’t get out of bed, he has stopped eating, and desperately wanted to see me and his grandkids. I hope, but doubt that we will see him again. I have previously been a fan of the “abundance of caution” approach, but this visit to the UK is beyond the pale. When was the human factor factored out of the equation?
“When was the human factor factored out of the equation?”
When the Liberal now Leftists among us have taken power and have intellectualized human existence. You, me and everyone else have been literalized by the Leftists among us who find themselves in political power.
And to be literalized is to be objectified, and when a human being becomes but an object, then they can be controlled, manipulated and discarded at the will of those who consider themselves superior. (This is Nazi justification and doctrine)
What must an enemy do in order to prevail? They need to objectify and dehumanize their opponent. If your opponent is reduced to a thing, you need not have any compassion or understanding for them.
From S.O.M. : “EXPLANATION: Strategy Over Morality describes a two-tiered “conversation” between a Public and their Empowered Leadership where the Public believes there is only a single, no tiered conversation occurring, and that single conversation is assumed by the Public to relate to the public’s morality and truth model perspective.
A model in which leadership or their empowered subordinates within government can subjectively justify to choose to formulate an interpretation of their core fiduciary responsibilities which becomes paramount over and above the public’s truth and morality model. Where plausible deniability can be claimed when “immoral” acts or modified “truth” strategies (lies) are employed or executed by leadership, their subordinates or by arm’s length leadership proxies.
In this “conversation”, leadership in the empowered “Political Realm” or their empowered subordinate’s step “down” to the public’s level, the “Pedestrian Realm”, and presents information, agenda, policy or strategy in a tailored, palatable package the public can believe and comfortably accept. Leadership then steps back to their “higher” level, formulates and executes “necessary”, by their subjective standards, agenda, policy and strategy where the public’s interpretation of morality or truth is not relevant or becomes optional.”
Until *IT* becomes personalized and a threat to one’s own life and freedoms *IT* can all be rationalized and made excuses for. Well, Lee, there are no more excuses left to be made.
Welcome to reality. Now we all en masse must reject it.
And that rejection of what can only be characterized as Nazi like doctrine and agenda must be rejected, and there is but one place where that rejection will take place, America.
And if America fails to reject this perversion on this issue of freedom for the individual all is lost for the rest of the world.
And that has been my, the Zman and many others point in these discussions here on BTB all this time.
Covid is but the vehicle that is being used to secure the power. Even as Covid dials itself down and becomes endemic and essentially a cold or a flu. But the governments around the world who are on board with this overwhelming degree of intrusion onto the individual’s life under the auspice’s of “Safety” and “Equality” will not likely let go of their *NEW* access to power. It is not in the nature of the beast.
Nature and the virus cares not one moment for the petty manipulations and perversions of man.
@Cotour,
I honestly think you give “the powers that be” more credit in their agenda than they deserve.
I also honestly believe that the vast majority of governments believe they are doing the right thing…. I see no underlying agenda as such, but I do see a lack within government of understanding of the public opinion.
I can say, after meeting friends and ( some!) Family for the first time in almost 3 years, that the British public are getting mighty weary of lockdowns/masks/vaccination passports…. Masks are “recommend” , but many stores have signs saying they are mandatory. At least 50% of folk are ignoring this.
We flew Birmingham (UK) to Amsterdam, then onward to Stockholm, Sweden, and masks were mandatory the whole journey… A total of 11 hours traveling. I soon found a bar to park up in for our 5 hour wait in Amsterdam… You don’t need a mask if your eating or drinking… If your going to catch the covid, it’s in a crowded bar…
We got in a taxi at the airport and I asked the driver “should we mask up”… “Not for me… If I was gonna get sick,.I’d be sick by now” he replied.
All this said, my best friend lost his father 2 weeks ago. He was an ex wrestler, morbidly over weight. Caught covid, got it bad, went into hospital and didn’t come out…
Did he die “of covid” or “with covid” ? I don’t know, but I don’t feel there is any kind of agreement of what is a covid death and what isn’t…
I think that out governments are doing a crap job at dealing with the situation… As far as I see it, a couple of jabs and you stand very little chance of dieing at all.. take the jabs… And let it run thru the population, take the third jab… I’m pretty sure it’s not going to hurt you. As a diabetic I am all in on getting as protected as I can.
But comparing this to anything nazi is to be honest, a step too far…. Let those that want to get the vaccine get the vaccine, let those that don’t, don’t, and let those that don’t, do what they want. It’s not Nazi to ask people to get jabbed… The capital letters are ASKED ….
Col Beausabre:
I generally agree that the label “organic food” is misunderstood by most and abused by most producers. But to clarify a couple things you stated:
1) I have a degree in Chemystery and “organic” refers to a class of compounds which contain carbon (horrors!). atoms.
Surprise! In English words can have more than one meaning. Most dictionaries now include a definition related to food that describes organic as meaning that it’s produced without the use of man-made fertilizers and other products. It’ll blow your mind to know that the word plane means different things to pilots, wood workers, and geometry students.
2) Anything humans can metabolize is organic).
That’s not quite what I learned when I took my organic and biochemistry courses. Lots of inorganic compounds can be metabolized by a human or other living creature. Metabolism is simply a generic term for all chemical processes occurring in living beings to sustain life. There are plenty of Morgan ice compounds that play roles in those processes.
3) I assume you spelled chemistry wrong as a joke, or at least I hope so. ;)