Politics outside the workplace

[Liberty]

I'm posting this with a legitimate question, not with the intention of starting arguments (perhaps I'm asking too much, but here goes....). My niece works for a district level mental health department (basically she's a state level employee). My niece is also very passionate in her political beliefs, but keeps that part of her life completely out of the workplace. I will not go into her politics, as it is irrelevant and, like I said, I don't want to start arguments on the board. Her problem is that recently her supervisor somehow found out that she has been attending meetings of a quasi-political group in her hometown in the evenings (never on work time). This supervisor doesn't agree with the positions taken by so-called group and has told my niece that if she doesn't sever her affiliation with the group she will be let go from her position. Is this legal? I've tried googling it but every word grouping I use invariably brings up stories about the IRS scandal, blah, blah, blah.... Also, just to set the record straight, the quasi-political group is not the KKK or anything like that.

 

I really don't know what advice to give my niece. She feels like her rights are being discriminated against, but she is a fairly new state level employee (worked in private sector her whole life previously) so doesn't know if the rules are different in that case (I thought I knew, but am wondering now also).

[LucyStoner]

Is your niece in a union? She should seek the advice of the union if so. If not, she should ask her supervisor for the rule that would permit this firing and consult with human resources or perhaps an employment attorney. Unless the group is engaged in illegal activity, I don't see how it would be cause to fire a state worker who is not a political appointee.

[QueenCat]

She needs to file a complaint with HR. Document with time and date of threat. Unless there is conflict of interest from this organization that relates to her work, it is none of her boss's business.

[TravelingChris]

I know that with federal employees, there are very specific rules about what they are allowed to do in political groups. However, attending a meeting, I don't believe is against the rules. I know my dh, who is in the military and those regulations are even stricter, can attend a campaign event in civilian clothes if he isn't announcing he is part of the military. So he can (and has) gone to a campaign event but didn't introduce himself as a airman (not his rank but as a general description of a person in the Air Force). Where people normally get in trouble is if they are in uniform or identified as so and so, Mental health worker, or what have you. SHe can probably find all the regs that may apply on her state personnel website or by searching google.

[Anne in CA]

I suspect that I know this scenario, even without your telling the whole story, and I would also guess that even HR may not be sympathetic to her. She does need to report the threat to them and she needs to contact an employment attorney. A letter to HR from a good attorney will probably fix the problem.

[zoobie]

This may be helpful:

http://www.osc.gov/documents/hatchact/haflyer2.htm

 

I would encourage her to speak with HR to clarify the "rules" and document the interaction with her supervisor. If she's new and not out of her probationary period, she can be fired for any (non-discriminatory) reason, at least in my state.

 

Google "political activity state employee" with the state name to get her state's rules. The above is federal, which also applies.