Steel Mill blasts "Bring Your Gun To Work" bill

[rambone]

Here's an objective article from the NWI Times.

The management of ArcelorMittal has been blasting its employees' emails, urging them to put pressure on the Governor to kill the bill. The sad thing is that this company is literally the lifeblood of the entire corner of the state.

ArcelorMittal USA CEO blasts 'bring your gun to work' bill, urges veto

ArcelorMittal, Indiana Chamber pressure governor to veto measure



The top U.S. executive of steelmaker ArcelorMittal is urging Gov. Mitch Daniels to veto legislation that would outlaw workplace rules preventing employees from keeping firearms and ammunition in their vehicles at work.

"I do not ever want to be put into a situation where I have to call the spouse or family member of one of our employees and tell them their loved one won't be coming home tonight because a fellow employee went to their car, got a gun, and shot a co-worker," ArcelorMittal USA CEO Michael Rippey wrote to Daniels one day after the bill was passed by the Indiana General Assembly.

The ArcelorMittal executive also derided provisions in the proposed law that provide exemptions for some industries as "arbitrary and capricious" and lacking any "rational basis."

The March 5 letter was provided to The Times by ArcelorMittal in response to an inquiry on the company's position on the bill. The company employs 10,000 in Northwest Indiana and is the world's largest steelmaker.

ArcelorMittal is just one of "dozens and dozens" of Indiana companies reacting to the passage of House Bill 1065 by the General Assembly, according to Kevin Brinegar, president of the Indiana Chamber of Commerce.

The chamber has received more comments and protests from Indiana companies over the so-called "bring your gun to work law" than any other single item on its legislative agenda, Brinegar said.

The chamber has lobbied against such gun bills since the first one was introduced in committee three years ago, Brinegar said.

"Companies are concerned about the safety of their employees," Brinegar said. "And they believe it is their property, and they ought to be able to determine if guns should be brought on their property."

The National Rifle Association has pushed for years for laws prohibiting employers from preventing employees from keeping guns and ammunition in their cars at work, according to Rachael Parsons, an NRA spokeswoman.

If Daniels signs the bill, Indiana would be the 13th state to pass such a law, according to NRA figures.

"We are always on the side of freedom for law-abiding people, and this is a right-to-carry issue," Parsons said.

The NRA is aware companies often cite safety and liability concerns when opposing such bills, Parsons said. But she said those concerns have to be balanced against an "individual's fundamental, constitutional right to defend themselves."

Although the Indiana law often is described as limiting guns to company parking lots, there is no such language in the bill. Instead, it simply prohibits most employers from taking any action against employees or contract workers who have guns or ammunition out of sight in their locked vehicles. The measure includes exemptions for child care facilities, schools, shelters and similar sites.

BP, which operates the largest oil refinery in the United States in Whiting, lobbied against the bill, according to Tom Keilman, government and public affairs director for the refinery. The Whiting plant was not exempted from the bill, Keilman said.

Beyond that, BP referred all questions to local chambers of commerce.

Tina Bengs, a partner specializing in employment law at Hoeppner Wagner & Evans LLP, which has offices in Valparaiso and Merrillville, said employers are bombarding labor specialists with questions on the pending law. They mainly want to know what they still could do to promote workplace safety if the bill becomes law.

"The employers are concerned that if it's the employer's property, how come all of a sudden they have to forgo the right to police it?" Bengs said.

Rhonda Kaplar, human resources director at Valparaiso's Task Force Tips, said personnel directors around the region are "in shock" the bill prohibiting firearm bans may be signed into law.

The situation is a little different at Task Force Tips, because the company has a policy allowing firearms to be kept in locked cars in the company parking lot, Kaplar said. Anyone with a handgun must have a copy of their carry permit on file at the company's human resources department.

She said that may have to do with the company's history as a small manufacturer where workers know each other well. Years ago, it had a policy that allowed employees to bring unloaded firearms into work to be machined on the shop floor. But that policy eventually was done away with, Kaplar said.

 

[ryanbr]

+1 Task Force Tips

 

[snapping turtle]

If I had a business every day would be bring your gun to work day. Range time after work. un bull**** session at lunch.

used to pay 30 a month to park off the lot of my employer. Well worth the money.

 

[eldirector]

This whole "go to your car, get a gun, and shoot up the place" is weak argument. Do you happen to remember that Univ. of Alabama shooting a few weeks ago? The faculty member went HOME, got a gun, and had her husband bring her back to campus. If someone intends to commit a crime, they will find a way. Rules or no rules, laws or no laws.

If your company has employees THAT upset, you have other issues to deal with.

 

[bigiron]

i guess if the would stop pissing off and pissing on their employees they wouldn't have to worry about disgruntled employees coming in to kill them. i mean, i've never wanted to cause harm to someone i have worked for who has treated me fair. although i have worked a few places that were not so fair and that kinda gives you a headache.

 

[antsi]

Companies are concerned about the safety of their employees

Nonsense.

If they gave a hoot about my safety, they would not require me to drive through two of the worst neighborhoods in town unarmed to get to work, and they wouldn't have a big sign in the parking lot that says they are not responsible for my safety.

 

[jbombelli]

Yeah. Make them go home first, so they can grab a their AK, a couple thousand rounds, and their body armor. That way they can REALLY cause a ruckus, and instead of a couple calls to family members, you can make 50.

 

[Bendrx]

What? I can't have my body armor in my car! Guess I'll just have to wear it in tomarrow. I wrote Mitch's office on Friday about this. I encourage you all to do the same, see the link below.

NRA-ILA :: Indiana: Governor Daniels Under Business Pressure to VETO Emergency Powers/Workplace Protection!

 

[Bubba]

I would like to see each and every one of the "dozens and dozens" of Indiana business (out of the "thousands and thousands" that exist) who are against the bill ban firearms from customers as well as employees. After all, if workplace safety is so important to management that they have to disarm their employees before and after work, it should be important enough to disarm their customers during their errands as well. Maybe INGO could sponsor a group buy for "no guns" signage for each business, so we know which ones to avoid?

On a related note, one of the department managers here at work took it upon herself to renew our CoC membership this year. Fortunately, I skipped breakfast the morning she put the sticker on the door.

 

[Roadie]

"We have created a shopping list for madmen," she said. "If guns are the problem, why don't we see things occurring at skeet and trap shoots, at gun shows, at NRA conventions? We only see it where guns aren't allowed. The sign of a gun with a slash through it is like a neon sign for gunmen, 'We're unarmed. Come kill us.' "
Texas Representative Suzanna Hupp

A DAUGHTER'S REGRET (SUZANNA HUPP)

 

[evansvillethompsongunner]

What? I can't have my body armor in my car! Guess I'll just have to wear it in tomarrow. I wrote Mitch's office on Friday about this. I encourage you all to do the same, see the link below.

NRA-ILA :: Indiana: Governor Daniels Under Business Pressure to VETO Emergency Powers/Workplace Protection!

You can have body armor wherever you please so long as you abide the law.
Once one commissions a felony while wearing body armor, it's a Class D felony on top of the original felony.

You can have body armor in your car, just don't do anything fun while you wear it.

 

[Digital_photog]

I have had some mixed feelings about this bill. It brings up the debate about the conflict between the property rights of the employer and the rights of the car owner. I really don't feel that it will endanger workers like many employers are saying it will. Some of you may remember the Nu-wood shooting in Goshen on December 6, 2001. Both of my daughters were working at the plant next door to Nu-wood when the shooting occurred. Greg Oswald the manager at Nu-wood who was killed was a good friend of my older daughter. Several of the injured came next door and one of the early calls to the police was from my daughters office. My younger daughter had the job of cleaning up the blood from the injured. Robert Wissman, who had earlier been fired went home to get the gun that he used in the shootings.

This discussion could also fit in another thread talking about the police going after the guns a upset employee had purchased. Robert Wissman had committed no crime before the shootings. Even though the plant manager felt that he was unstable there was no laws that allowed the confiscation of his guns. The Oregon thread brings out the possible conflict between a persons rights and public safety. Discussion is good but we will never be able to satisfy everyone or keep everyone safe 100% of the time.

Life has risks that I am willing to take to keep my freedoms. I think most on this site would choose personal freedom over complete safety.... which, by the way, I don't think can ever be attained.

Indiana Factory Shooting Leaves 2 Dead and 6 Hurt - NYTimes.com

Sorry for the rambling, but several threads that I hadn't into before led me to bring this into the discussion.

 

[Pitmaster]

Another reason I'm in favor of this bill is that I believe individual rights trump business rights. I especially believe that in regards to public companies. I do agree that an employer does have the right to restrict and employees speech regarding company business and presenting a positive image for the company. I don't believe they have the right to restrict constitutional rights in my private automobile. I lost a job and one of the reasons was for having a pocketknife at a training 150 miles away from the office. I was peeling a orange with my knife in my car when "spotted" by a supervisor and written up. She didn't see the 2 rifle cases and range bag in the back of my SUV. Otherwise I would have lost my job 2 months earlier.

 

[walt o]

I recall back in about 1980 a Hammond city court bailiff who also worked in Inland steel was running late to his primary job in the mill.He put his pistol in the trunk of his car and went into the mill to work .Someone informed on him and his car was checked by mill security they tried to fire him ,but the union and other groups worked to keep him on the job. Another time they tried to fire someone for having a hunting bow and arrows in the car parked on company property it was hunting season Ho also fought it and kept his job. I am glad that this will be stoped.

 

[Bill of Rights]

"Although the Indiana law often is described as limiting guns to company parking lots, there is no such language in the bill. Instead, it simply prohibits most employers from taking any action against employees or contract workers who have guns or ammunition out of sight in their locked vehicles."

Um... Excuse me? Where exactly would those locked vehicles be? The break room?

Blessings,
Bill

 

[WeAreNotAlone]

Another reason I'm in favor of this bill is that I believe individual rights trump business rights. I especially believe that in regards to public companies. I do agree that an employer does have the right to restrict and employees speech regarding company business and presenting a positive image for the company. I don't believe they have the right to restrict constitutional rights in my private automobile. I lost a job and one of the reasons was for having a pocketknife at a training 150 miles away from the office. I was peeling a orange with my knife in my car when "spotted" by a supervisor and written up. She didn't see the 2 rifle cases and range bag in the back of my SUV. Otherwise I would have lost my job 2 months earlier.

LOL, Were you carving demon faces into the orange, Or calling the orange by name of a supervisor/fellow employee, and shouting die, die, die while you plunged the pocketknife into that poor defenseless orange?


.

 

[trnsplntfrmohio]

I carry to work. Leave it in my car. If they choose to fire me. GREAT. I'm out of my contract without owing any money to my employer. Also if they want to search my car they can bring the police and a search warrant.

 

[bigus_D]

I understand that folks on this site are pro-gun... but this bill is anti-freedom.

It sounds like people think they have a fundamental right to their job. That is a load of poop.

If I decide to start a business, I should be able to hire and fire whomever I desire... sure, I shouldn't be allowed to discriminate based on race or sex... fine. But if I want to prohibit this or that from the workplace, the workplace I created, I should be allowed to. If you don't like my rules, go work some other F'n place.

I agree, it is your right to carry. It is my right to carry. I carry everyday, everywhere I go. But if my employeer says it is against his rules, then so be it. I will either have to break his rules, stop carrying, or get a new G.D. JOB (... oh yea, or cry to the government to take away his rights)!

Let the neg rep fly!

 

[patton487]

What's next, I can't have a pack of cigs in my car if the company dosen't like smoking? There's no difference

 

[Bubba]

No neg rep from me, but why would an employer feel entitled to regulate what I do off his or her property when I'm not on company time? That's what you'd be doing by banning guns from an employee's locked vehicle. If my employer would like to allow me the option to go on the clock from the moment I leave my house in the morning, and clock out when I return home at night, then fantastic, I will happily agree to whatever restrictions they choose to place on me. Unfortunately, the current state of things allows an employer to mandate I be unarmed while on my own time. There's nothing in this that forces business owners to allow employees to carry, nor to even bring weapons into the building. It simply protects an employee's right to carry while off the clock and secure the weapon in the employee's own property during their workday.