Don’t take my Moon Pie
Published 12:00 am Thursday, February 3, 2005
Weyco Corporation in Lansing, Michigan made the controversial decision to ban its employees from smoking.
The rising health care costs forced the company to take action.
The owner of the company said he was not going to pay for the effects of smoking.
Employees were given 15 months notice to quit the habit or be fired.
Two hundred of the company’s employees kicked the habit.
The four who refused were fired.
I wonder what the companies will ban next to save on insurance costs.
Obesity is a huge problem in today’s society.
Are companies going to ban employees from eating unhealthy foods?
Will they put security in place to check my brown bag lunch and confiscate my Moon Pie?
What happens when I leave the building for lunch; will there be a picture of me at the area fast food restaurants saying, &uot;Only serve her salad and diet soda?&uot;
Employees at Weyco will also be given random blood tests for nicotine.
According to reports it will discourage employees from getting the urge to smoke at home.
In the future will I be faced with a random Cheeto test?
Will they check underneath my fingernails for traces of orange dust?
Dental costs are on the rise also.
Should companies only allow employees to drink sugar free sodas or water?
Are the days of snack machines in the break room in the past?
Will the 4 out of 5 dentist prevail and I will be stuck only chewing sugar free gum at my desk?
Can my job performance be determined by the amount of dental work I have?
Weyco company’s founder did make mention he was concerned over other health problems as well.
The company is offering certificates for gym memberships and weight and healthy living counseling as well.
I am not looking forward to the day when I fill out my health insurance paper work and it has a checklist of all the vices and unhealthy behavior I participate in.
Will I have to put down I have an Altoid addiction?
Or I recreationally eat cookies?
Press coverage about this issue has been minimal.
Where is the ACLU when we need them?
Big tobacco is so engrossed with lawsuits from previous smokers and workers forced to work in second hand smoke filled environments that they have no time or money to stand up for smokers rights.
I am going to write a letter to Hostess and let them know my concerns about overweight Twinkie eater benefits.
If we start now we can get a law on the books forbidding the Gestapo from coming in my house in the middle night and doing a junk food raid.
Smokers and junk food eaters of the world unite!
Hold your cigarette and doughnut up high!