Texas woman says she was fired from Whataburger for wearing Black Lives Matter mask

[Judi Lynn]

Last edited Fri Sep 25, 2020, 04:05 PM - Edit history (1)

Source: Houston Chronicle

Alison Medley
Sep. 25, 2020
Updated: Sep. 25, 2020 11:58 a.m.

When Ma’Kiya Congious wore her Black Lives Matter mask to work at a Fort Worth Whataburger, she said the covering drew compliments from customers.

According to The Washington Posts' Teo Armos, Congious reported to work on August 3 and was confronted by a white customer who took objection to her mask. The customer threatened to call Whataburger's corporate office over the covering, and Congious was told by Whataburger supervisors her mask displayed a political message and could not be worn while working.

. . .

Congious claims she was let go from the company and had the police called on her by her while she remained inside the store, according to The Washington Post.

"I asked for them to provide me details on why my mask was inappropriate. It's a solid color. It doesn't have any gang-related anything on it," she told KDFW's Lyannane Nguyen. "I asked for them to explain it to me. They couldn't explain it to me."

Read more: https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Texas-woman-says-she-was-fired-from-Whataburger-15596979.php

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She wore a BLM mask to work at Whataburger. After a customer complained, she lost her job.



Ma'Kiya Congious, center, said she was fired from her job at a Whataburger in Fort Worth after a customer complained about her Black Lives Matter mask. (Martha Vasquez)

By
Teo Armus
September 24, 2020 at 4:01 p.m. CDT

. . .

In San Antonio last week, a charter school fired an art teacher who refused to stop wearing Black Lives Matter masks to her classroom. A Milwaukee pizza store owner terminated and then physically scuffled with a delivery driver who insisted on keeping the message on his face coverings.

And in late July, 14 workers at Whole Foods locations across four states filed a class-action lawsuit against the supermarket chain, charging that the company retaliated against them for wearing BLM masks and pins. (Whole Foods is a unit of Amazon, whose founder Jeff Bezos also owns The Washington Post.)

In San Antonio last week, a charter school fired an art teacher who refused to stop wearing Black Lives Matter masks to her classroom. A Milwaukee pizza store owner terminated and then physically scuffled with a delivery driver who insisted on keeping the message on his face coverings.

And in late July, 14 workers at Whole Foods locations across four states filed a class-action lawsuit against the supermarket chain, charging that the company retaliated against them for wearing BLM masks and pins. (Whole Foods is a unit of Amazon, whose founder Jeff Bezos also owns The Washington Post.)

More:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/09/24/whataburger-black-lives-matter-masks/

[janterry]

1. Why wear this at work?

I might agree with the sentiment, but I'm not sure I want people wearing anything but the work uniform (do they have one? I've never eaten at this place).

I know there is a case at Kroger where the company wanted employees to wear a rainbow symbol and two staff members requested an exemption because of their religion - and were fired.

Just not sure this is the best place for that. I guess I'll see what others think

[niyad]

12. Do you have a link to the Kroger story? Company policy does not include political messages

on face masks or uniforms

[niyad]

14. Please state the Kroger case correctly. The two avowed Christian women (aka bigots), CLAIM that

they were fired. The suit was filed last week.

[marble falls]

27. BLM is not a political movement or organization. Why not wear it? If my orders done right ...

screw the uniform. It isn't as if I need to see a uniform to know what burger joint I'm in.

[Jimbo S]

2. If I was her manager

I would call her into my office and explain one-on-one why apparel with political message don't belong in the workplace. I would ask her to discontinue. If she declined, then I'd request her resignation.

[NurseJackie]

8. That's the best option. Do we know for a fact that this did not happen? And, who is...

... that woman in the left side of the photo with her nose peeking out above her mask? (I hate it when I see people doing that.)

[maxrandb]

39. Black Lives Matter is a "political message"?

So, there's a political side thats "political message" is "Black Lives Don't Matter"?

Get me the fuck out of this fucked up country.

[TheRealNorth]

3. I am okay with a company having a policy...

as long as it is enforced evenly for both sides.

[LisaM]

5. Yes, I agree with you.

The workplaces should be supplying masks with the name of the business on them, and just make it an across-the-board policy to wear them.

[Sherman A1]

6. Precisely

She is there to work not make political statements.

[LanternWaste]

11. How does her mask deny her the efficiency in her duties that a Hello Kitty mask would not deny?

Seems a lot of people work overtime to pretend that black lives expressing nothing more than the right to exist is actually political rather than a statement of mere fact.

[LisaL]

33. It doesn't deny her efficiency of her duties.

But would you want to show up somewhere and see an employee with "I love Trump" message on the mask?
Is should work both ways.

[JI7]

34. I think black lives matter is more comparable to something like "Cure Cancer" on a mask

than "i love trump" .

[LisaL]

35. What about "Blue lives matter" or "All lives matter"?

Would it be appropriate for employees to wear masks with those messages?

[JI7]

36. Those are more comparable to "covid is a hoax"

[LisaL]

38. How so?

If somebody can object to the message, then it's not a good idea for a business to allow messages on masks.

[Sapient Donkey]

45. I bet that mask exists, and I bet it has breathing holes for the nose and mouth

Either way, I do understand why a employer wouldn't want to deal with the potential issues of either writings on a mask. Should the phrase "Black Lives Matters" be political and upset people? No, it really shouldn't, but it has become something that has been politicized and does upset people. I also wouldn't want someone with a mask that has a "pro-life" message or a #PraisedBeGod or #BlueLivesMatter or #MAGA or anything else that will no doubt cause problems. Now, if it were a situation where it wouldn't be an issue, because everyone is cool with differing opinions, then by all means go for it.

[Tom Traubert]

40. It risks alienating customers

I’m sorry, but I’ve stopped patronizing a business in my area that came out as pro-Trump in 2016, by inviting its customers to a “Deporables Victory Party” after the 2016 election, and another with “All Lives Matter” and “Blue Lives Matter” stickers on the front door. I won’t go into Home Depot or Chick-Fil-A and my bet is that many expressing righteous indignation in this thread feel the same way and do the same thing. It’s hypocritical.

If you run a business, which is a place of public accommodation, it’s a just bad business decision to alienate customers. A rule of general applicability prohibiting all political activity at the work place makes a lot of sense. I feel no sympathy for the worker here. It’s not a First Amendment issue — this was a private business.

[TruckFump]

28. Totally agree.

Work places should in general be neutral.

[blaze]

4. Black Lives Matter is not a political issue. It's a human rights issue. nt

[LiberalLovinLug]

10. Exactly! Why do some here think this is political?

Republicans WANT to make it into a political statement. They want to paint it as "BLM is a terrorist organization that Democrats love"

But for fucks say people, BLM is a social movement for racial equality and police accountability. Just because Republicans paint it as a political party, does not make them into one. Don't let Republicans define the term for you.

[Hortensis]

16. Oh, come on. Of course it's political, in addition to being a

statement of princple and aspiration. From the very beginning and it was. BLM and its many millions of supporters have accomplished a great deal, even if it's hard to see right now. Political good trouble.

But not getting an employer's permission before taking actions that could drive angry customers away and potentially even incite violence in the workplace is not making good trouble. That's what private life and public streets are for.

[LiberalLovinLug]

26. You are right, its a "statement of princple and aspiration"

you contradict yourself when saying it is also "political".

Its like wearing a shirt that says "The Earth is not flat" or "water is wet", or "all men, and women, are created equal". Only for those that think the Earth is flat, or water is dry, or that black lives do NOT matter as much as white lives, that will have a problem with that.

The "political" part only exists from one side making it political. You could argue that it has become political because of that I guess. But the topic itself is NOT political, it is OBVIOUS.

[Hortensis]

44. Politics isn't a dirty word, something people shouldn't do

even in the dark.

Politics is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations between individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status.

#BLM IS a political movement. That's why that awful icky politician, John Lewis, was proud to support it. And "the conscience of the congress" was never hypocritical about what he and they do.

[Tom Traubert]

42. Because it has been made one and is one.

Why are we discussing it in this thread, on a forum called “Democratic Underground,” which unquestionably is a forum for the discussion of politics and political issues? It doesn’t become any less of a political issue because you say so. To the contrary, the Trump administration has made civil rights and racial justice more of a political issue than it’s been for a long time.

[Polybius]

43. Because one political side does not support them

It's not political in the sense like a Trump or Biden mask, but it's a message that one side doesn't like. Screw Republicans, I'd normally agree, unless they are customers.

[brooklynite]

31. It's an issue...

...which an employee can advocate for after work hours.

[progressive nobody]

7. This isn't political it is a human issue and I boycott stores and restaurants that does stuff like

this!

I've seen employers force employees to go to political rallies for Trump and W. Issues like this is why I don't go to Starbucks any more either.

[marie999]

9. Companies have a right to tell employees that they may not wear political

or social messages while at work. You have a right to boycott them.

[progressive nobody]

13. but black lives matter isn't a political issue it is a human issue! as long as we have this racism

the country we are failing the essence of the Phrase All men are created equal. (yes, it was a white male slave owner who wrote it) BUT we had that principle in our conscious when as we passed the 14th amendment, the 19th amendment, civil rights, Roe v Wade. If we believe in all men created equal Black Lives Matter is a human rights issue not politics!

[dware]

17. All well and good,

but a private company has the right to forbid their employees from wearing any clothing while on duty that they deem inappropriate.

[progressive nobody]

18. And I have the right to boycott who are on the wrong side of a humanitarian issue

If they can't respect something like that then it is an indication the company doesn't respect customers or employees.

[dware]

20. Who here has said you don't have that right?

I wholeheartedly agree with you on boycotting a business whose policies you don't agree with.

[progressive nobody]

22. no one did. I was just commenting that BLM shouldn't be considered a political matter it is a human

matter. others on this post immediately said companies don't like political matters.

[dware]

23. Ahhhhh, ok, now I get the gist of your posts.

Have a great afternoon.

[progressive nobody]

24. you too. My learning disability sometimes makes it hard for me to express myself

in a clear manner

Have an Awesome weekend!

[dware]

25. No problem.

Back atcha for the weekend.

[murielm99]

15. Employers should make it clear that

no political or social messages should be worn to work.

I went in to a Casey's store and saw the checkout clerk wearing a "Blue Lives Matter" bracelet. It was the day after one of the murders, too. I was seriously offended. I complained to the manager.

I told the manager that in all the years I worked at the library, and all the years I taught, I never once wore anything with a political message. One of my friends, a Democrat in my precinct who is now an election judge, said that she did not know I was a Democrat for the first fourteen years she lived in town. I contacted her right away when she relocated to my precinct.

Let's pick our battles. There is more than enough to choose from.

[onetexan]

19. i rarely eat fast food except Mickey D's when traveling since it's along the road, quick &cheap

& can't stand Whataburger so my boycott wouldn't matter. BUT..this isn't good & they're not protecting the public nor being fair to this young lady.

[RhodeIslandOne]

21. This is open and shut

When I worked for a big retail chain, we couldn't even wear a golf shirt that had a logo of the local sports team on it (if we were on register duty). An Izod shirt (with the alligator logo) or a Nike swoosh was considered "promoting another entity".

[Igel]

29. If it's solid black, how

could it be a BLM mask?

I see dozens of different solid black masks each day. Nobody's ever said they were BLM masks.

If the did, I'd deadpan-face them and tell them to stop trying to trick people into acting like they mean something they don't.

[LisaL]

32. It has a BLM message on it.

NT

[tinymontgomery]

30. Why doesn't the company buy mask

Why doesn’t the company buy mask with the companies name
on them then make that the one that has to be worn. Fast food joints
normally have their employees wear the shirt with their logo
on them. I would say all companies should do this then diversity issues like the one above
go away. In Lowes the other day the cashier had on her mask that she
was hearing impaired and asked customers to speak louder or she had me
write my ph # down so she should could check it against my name for a discount .
She normally read lips but with the mask she couldn't. Thought that was a great idea
she did that.

[JI7]

37. This is actually a good idea in terms of just business promotion itself

[happy feet]

46. This!

Masking is required by the owner/store yet they require employees to use their own money buy their own. Hmmm.

[mantis49]

41. When will people learn that politics and work don't mix?

Like it or not, BLM is considered politics.

Myself, I believe it is human rights. But RWNJ see it as purely Democratic politics. And you don't really have free speech rights on the job.