A woman from Ohio filed a lawsuit against her former company this week claiming that she was fired for voting for Obama.
According to Dayton Daily News, Patricia Kunkle is suing defense contractor Q-Mark and its president Roberta “Bobbie” Gentile for more than $25,000 for wrongful termination.
Kunkle claims that Gentile threatened her employees before the 2012 election, saying that anyone who voted for President Obama would be fired. Kunkle says that the topic of politics came up at work the day after the election and she was outed as an Obama supporter. A few days later she lost her job.
Kunkle’s attorney Karen Dunlevey said:
“Whether you’re a Democrat or a Republican, taking it to the extreme of impairing somebody’s career because they disagree with your political choices is just wrong … We’re hoping that the court will recognize that and adopt a public policy exception for her.”
Before the 2012 election, there were several companies urging their employees (and in some cases threatening them) not to vote for Obama. Most of the CEOs said that if Obama was elected president they would be forced to fire people because of the financial restraints that they would be inevitably burdened with.
Gentile’s attorney, Brian Wildermuth, didn’t say if Roberta had threatened her employees with termination but he did say that Kunkle’s firing was purely budgetary.
Wildermuth said:
“Ms. Kunkle was laid off for economic reasons – nothing more … I am sure you and your readers are familiar with the ongoing uncertainties regarding defense spending, and thus the economic environment confronting defense contractors. The allegation that Q-Mark discharged Ms. Kunkle because of her vote is simply false.”
If Kunkle does win her lawsuit, Dunlevey said that it would set a precedent for future cases about political discrimination.
If she was fired for voting for Obama, the Defense Dept. should cancel any jobs with that company.
Q-Mark is a defense contractor. Of course they talked about people getting laid off if Obama was reelected! I live in an area where the majority of the best jobs are all with defense contractors. That's all people could talk about and unfortunately it's true. Based upon Obama's plans my area is projected to lose hundreds of millions in the local economy, causing unemployment to be much higher than the national average.
When I first saw this headline, I thought this had a BS lawsuit. Now, not so sure.
And it should work the other way as well. I have been hearing about all the people that are republican that have been discriminated against because they did not vote for Obama. There was just a case of a collage professor that was making students sign a pledge to vote for Obama or get lower grades.
She got the change that she voted for. Maybe next time she will vote for the person that help our country and not the color of their skin.
I thought all Obama supporters were unemployed. Hee hee.
This is why you do not talk politics at work.
did you see that on faux news?
Gentile has free speech, but let's face it. She voluntarily or involuntarily made a threat. Vote my way or the highway. She sounds like a real "smart ass" to me. I'm glad Obama won!
Next lets fire Obama!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Then they can fire everyone else.
Dooooooooshbag alert. When one uses the terms: Faux News,Libtards,Republitards, or any other little jerkoff term, you can smell the doooshnes, immediately. We have a winner:Darla
I hope she wins BIG in this lawsuit. I also hope that anyone who deals with this company will cease business dealings with them at once. The mangement should be ashamed of themselves!
no just jackasses likec you
If hiring/firing based on political affiliation is illegal then the media – who only hires liberal Democrats – has been guilty of it for decades!
hey chris obama is the lesser of the two evils
If hiring/firing for political affiliation is illegal then the media – who only hires liberal Democrats – has been guilty for decades!
Isn't Dooshness a jerkoff term? BTW It's spelled Douche!
you go girl you can vote for ever you wish last ime I checked!
oh yea I like the brother!
Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.
good for her voteing of that man.good shes fired.
Chris, youve got that right…..agree 100%
She got what she voted for….
Rachel L. Rodriguez You had your chance, and the nasty party of hate lost.
This is the reason you talk politics (on breaks of course) at work.
There's your "Change" LOL.
Unions clearly stated that if you voted for Romney you would be fired, so what's the problem?
Would she still have been fired….If Mitt had been elected?
If it's true, that's voter tampering and not only should the company pay up the CEO should be brought up on charges.
Along with sex, religon, personal lives etc. I didn't see any proof, just hearsay, and I am sure she will get the attention she wants as a victim. If you are the outspoken "in your face" type that wear their opinion like a t-shirt, it won't be long. I fired a webmaster and his company, why? He liked to gloat about Obama's achievements in e-mails to me, not on my dime!
better the CNN {Communist News Network}
Maybe they should have gotten into an area other than benefiting off dead babies. Funny how conservatives get up on a high horse about abortion, but seem to be fine with working for people that make things that kill people. Hypocrites one and all.
Maybe her employer shouldn't be tampering with voters. News flash, voter coercion and intimidation IS illegal.
Better then CNN {Communist News Network}.
Unions can't fire anyone… They protect worker's rights, they have no control over hiring or firing. Learn of what you speak before you open thine mouth.
Voter coercion is illegal. Which included punishing her by firing her.
If you truly believe that then you are educated beyond your intelligence
You wouldn't know a communist or Socialist if Marx and Lenin walked up and started smacking you.
was there any other employee who voted for the bum fired for the same reason, if so she has no case. its called downsizing.
Rory you got them mixed up, the hate party won. take it youve never heard obummer talk.