Ohio city of Dayton has banned smokers and will no longer hire anyone who smokes. The ban has come out due to the increased number of smoking-related medical cases. Dayton officials have announced that they will no longer hire anyone who consumes nicotine, and it includes vapers too. The reason given by the city officials is to make a healthy work environment.
It will also reduce the tax money wasted on the medical treatment of the affected persons. While the step seems to be taken after thinking for the greater good, the heads of labor unions consider is as a breach of their personal freedom. It is why there are city-wide protests against the government officials to remove the smoking ban from Ohio city.
Why they want Smoker and Vapers to be banned?
As per the study conducted by the Dayton City officials, there is an additional cost of $6000 per year in direct cost of medical procedure and lost productivity. Meanwhile, the labor union leaders think that the government wants to scrutinize the personal habits of the workers. What a worker does in his own time, should be no one else’s concerns and they got every right to smoke or do whatever they want.
Rick Oakley, president of the Dayton Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 44, have told that they are not happy about the ban. But there is no way else to fight the health care costs from the nicotine related illnesses. What we are doing is for the good for the people, a smoke-free environment will make everyone healthy.
Public Outrage among Unions
Even though the employees already working for the city won’t be affected by this new rule, but the smoking zones around the city area will be close down forever. The city workers Union in blue-collar and clerical jobs are worried that if the officials are allowed to take such decisions, their future can be stake.
@realDonaldTrump @LindseyGrahamSC @senatemajldr I know you have friends with money tied to private prisons. Did you ever think that you could lock up white supremacist instead of weed smokers. Oh, that would be white people. I guess that’s a no then?
— Nathan from Dayton (@dayton_from) August 4, 2019
Watch out #Dayton – discriminating against smokers is just the beginning – then comes 'no alcohol users', 'no one overweight' – and on down the slippery slope. At some point it becomes '1984' – an Orwellian police state. TY @NYDailyNews https://t.co/zn73r4Ddfi pic.twitter.com/1iqKqgCuIo
— 'Abbey' (@DaveRhody) August 3, 2019
First, they are banning people who smoke, maybe they will stop hiring overweight people next. Most of the employees are opposing the new bill and are planning to take it to the court. It will be a tough legal battle as the Ohio employment laws are kind of strict, but the union leaders will try their best to lift the ban.