Man fired for buying Harley

[losdiablosgato]

Man fired for buying Harley
Tuesday, July 26, 2005
By Jon Malavolti
CHRONICLE STAFF WRITER
When Tom Kekoni showed up for work at Babbitt's Sports Center on May 17, he had no idea it would be his last day.

That morning, a sales manager approached Kekoni, a 46-year-old certified mechanic, and asked him whether he had made a certain recent purchase.

The mechanic acknowledged he had, and the sales manager informed him that he didn't need to punch in for work.



Kekoni thought the guy was teasing him.

"Too late, I already did," Kekoni responded.

http://www.mlive.com/news/muchronicle/index.ssf?/base/news-7/1122390906322500.xml&coll=8&thispage=1

[neweurope]

1. Yes, it's time again - sell your soul to the company store...

And even that won't make things safe and secure, it might just give us a reprieve. The jobs WILL be landing in China and wherever. And those left in our own countries won't pay enough to live decently.

------------

Remember Fallujah

Bush to The Hague!

[yardwork]

6. Yes - and Harley is made in the US, while the others are made in Asia

This man just got fired for buying one of the few things still made in America.

[losdiablosgato]

16. In fairness, some Jap bikes are made in the US

My uncle has a honda goldwing made in Ohio.

[MsTryska]

2. I believe Coca-Cola acts the same way....nt

nt

[Ravenseye]

21. They do

I'm related by marriage to a person who is pretty high up with Coca Cola. They told me a story of how once a person came in for a job interview drinking a 'competetive' product. They asked the guy "Seriously? Did you think we'd hire you coming in here drinking that?"

I have to agree with this one. Appearances are huge and while I think firing a mechanic for what he drives is a bit extreme, how does it look if he drives off the lot on that harley?

"These products are good enough for us to sell to you, but not to use ourselves."

It's disresepctful as well imho. I know people will disagree with me here, but especially when you're a small business owner appearances are extremely important. If an employee of mine did something similar I wouldn't fire him on the spot, but I'd tell him he couldn't ride that bike to work or mention that he rides one to any customers he might face.

[Name removed]

22. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[corkhead]

3. Yes, Michigan is an Ironically named "right to work" state n/t

[Jack from Charlotte]

25. If you work for Ford can you drive a Chevy?

I'm sure you can. I recall a little tift one of the US manufactoring companies had with it's employees when they only let their own cars park nearest the building. Workers who bought others cars had to park farther away.

[losdiablosgato]

28. That was Daimler Chrysler

[SammyWinstonJack]

47. My husband has worked at Ford, Chevy, and Toyota

dealerships and has driven other makes/models that weren't related to the dealership he was currently working for. It has never been a problem. And he doesn't have to park in the north forty either.

[progressivebydesign]

4. That is just ridiculous. I hope a competitor hires the guy.

Unbelievable. I have never given a shit about what my mechanic drives, do any of us even KNOW what our mechanic drives? Sounds like a bunch of bullies. I hope they lose most of their customers for that!

[formerrepuke]

5. Can that be legal? The GM plant here has a cornucopia of automobile

makes out in the parking lot every day. And they're actually MAKING the vehicles; not simply selling them.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

33. UAW took care of that, I'm sure.

[One_Life_To_Give]

7. If you want him to drive one of your bikes to work

then give him a company bike. Otherwise ...

[flvegan]

8. Fired for buying American. Nice.

I'd spin my story that way SO HARD it'd make Yamaha boy's head spin.

[yella_dawg]

9. Ugly, ugly, ugly

but what a way to go.

I sure miss my hog.

[dogday]

10. Man everybody likes Harleys

Someone needs to take a big bite out of their ass...

[Horse with no Name]

11. Soooo by this standard

Everyone that sells Yugo's--can only buy a Yugo.
Everyone that sells mobile homes--must live in mobile homes.

This is nuts....these folks are batshit crazy.
Maybe Harley has an opening.:shrug:

[lectrobyte]

12. Hmmmm. Their web site seems to be down

http://www.babbittssportscenter.com

Wonder if email and phone are working?
Babbitt's Sports Center Llc is located in 3712 Airline Rd, Muskegon, MI. Our phone number is [phone], or you can reach us at [e-mail].

[losdiablosgato]

14. Thanks for the info

[Submariner]

27. I just got on their link

and left a love note }(. I hope he enjoys the "unpatriotic cockroach" part of it.

[snooper2]

30. I left a note too, just click on the top where it says contact us...

You can use your own information or make shit up..regardless, I hope they like my little piece of mind...

[Deja Q]

13. So much for the concept of F-R-E-E-D-O-M.

[Hosnon]

17. Well there is the employer's freedom to employ who he wants. No reason

is just as valid as a crappy reason to fire someone (barring certain discrimination).

Edit: Should 'who' be 'whom?' I've never quite mastered that grammatical concept.

[Dervill Crow]

29. Yep, should be "whom."

I think the law varies from state to state on how easy or hard it is to get rid of an employee. Seems like there should be some sort of protection against what this guy did.

[Hosnon]

Thanks for the clarification.

I dunno though - I'd rather err on the side of it being at the employer's discretion than having the government get all involved.

[Dervill Crow]

37. That's true, too.

I think in Oregon that if you terminate an employee you have to have a reason for it. I've heard the term "for cause," but since I've never been terminated from a job I've never had to worry about it.

Knock wood. :banghead:

[longship]

15. Pepsi-Cola has the refrigerator police.

If you work for Pepsi and have a competitor's product in your fridge, you can be fired. Whenever I go to Pizza Hut, or any other Pepsi company fast food place, I always order a Coke. They say, "We only have Pepsi." My response is always, "Oh. I'll have water, then." Pisses them off.

Coca-Cola doesn't own any fast food places so I can't do the same for them.

Gawd! I hate monopolists.

[Mizmoon]

20. That doesn't piss the company off

it just annoys some poor schlep who works there.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

35. Friend of mine worked for Pepsi

She brought her lunch in a little Coke cooler one day, thinking it would be funny, and I guess the only reason they didn't fire her was because she was too new to know better. I guess when you're essentially selling a brand rather than some product of inherant value you get a little touchy.

[SoCalDem]

36. I always refuse pepsi too

A business should be able to and SHOULD stock BOTH.. This is so worng on many levels. A business owner is "forbidden" to stock and serve a product that his customers ask for and wants..:eyes:

It's bribery at its finest.. The machines that dispense the sodas are expensive, so Coke & pepsi get into a "war" of offering bargain rates and fancy machinery (sometimes free) .....But EXCLUSIVITY goes along with it,..

A place we used to frequent, switched from coke to pepsi recently, and we make it a point to NOT go there..

[Walt Starr]

18. "Right to Work" More Orwellian crap that the Am People have been

swallowing for a looooooong time!

[Freddie Stubbs]

24. This is not a right-to-work issue

This is an 'At-will' employment issue.

[losdiablosgato]

26. Losing a job blows, we all know this, but.....

Getting away from a boss like this is a good thing. I know if I worked there I would be looking hard for a new position as we speak.

[Walt Starr]

32. "At-will" exists in "Right to work" states.

:eyes:

The terms are synonymous.

[Freddie Stubbs]

40. Actually, PA is not a right-to-work state, but

it also has at-will employment. The firing that happened in this article was in Michigan, which is not a right to work state.

[Walt Starr]

46. I stand corrected.

Thanks!

[Greyhound]

31. uh huh, yew bet, tastes reel gud.

ronnie told us how gud we got it if we cud loose are jobs for no rezun.
yep, ah ben makin almos fortine bucks an ower fer goin on 20 years now. git lotz of ovrtym to. :banghead:

[lectrobyte]

19. their web site is working after all, and they have a nice contact

page that allows you to leave a message.

http://www.babbittssportscenter.com/contactus.htm

[roguevalley]

23. done.

[proud2BlibKansan]

34. My father in law worked for a steel company

for 40 years. They had a policy that forbid employees from parking foreign made cars in their parking lot. As soon as he retired, he went out and bought a Toyota.

[ohio_liberal]

38. This is unfortunately nothing new

My Dad worked for GM in the 70's. My granddad died and left my Dad a Chrysler. My Mom drove it to work and apparently someone made a case of it. Management told him to get rid of it or he was fired.

[Obamarama]

39. Would it be unethical to do the following:

I live about an hour and a half away from here. I would love to drive up to Muskegon, stroll in there and tell the yahoo that I just purchased a new motorcycle and until the other day had been considering checking out what Babbitts had to offer. That when I found out about him firing this guy, I decided to take my business to XYZ competitor. Not only did you lose an employee, you lost $1,500 bucks in sales.

I'd like to do this just to see the guy's reaction, and then report back.

Whaddya think?

[mtnester]

41. Abercrombie Fitch even does it to their employees

You must wear their stuff, with the exception of shoes, AND you cannot wear anything that has been moved to the sale table. You can only wear what is out front.

This is tough on the kids who work there, having to constantly buy clothes to wear AT their job. When my son worked the sales floor he said you break even only, even with the discount. And they work the crap out of you...I actually admire him for putting up with it as long as he did (the sales floor)

Now, he waits tables and does Fitch's displays, so he gets the discount but does not have to buy the clothes as much he wears them anyway, but the display people do not have to be current as they do their thing at night.

This is what a $60,000.00 college education will get you nowadays, BTW.

[msrbly]

42. I know Babbits Sports Center

I'm from Muskegon area and my uncle works at Babbits. They sell jet skis and power boats (and apparently used motorcycles). This is a boating town and if this guy is a boat mechanic there are much better places to work. I think being fired from Babbits might turn out to be more of a blessing than a curse for this guy.

That being said, I have never made note of the type of vehicle my car dealer drives or the brand of soda the pepsi guy at the grocery store is drinking. This is nonsense.

[Ganja Ninja]

48. It's always a blessing to be fired when you work for an asshole.

Every time I've been fired or quit I've gotten a better job.

[knitter4democracy]

43. Okay, I have to ask.

How the heck is their inventory competitive with Harley? No disrespect, but those Yamahas and all just aren't the same. They don't look the same, they don't sound the same, and I would assume that they don't ride the same.

Of course, I come from a dirtbike family, so what do I know? ;)

Btw, if your kid wants to race motorcross, buy him or her a Cobra bike--made in the USA, more American parts than any other bike, sold by my dad, made and owned by my brother.

[msrbly]

44. Harleys in no way compete with anything else Babbits sells nt

[Moosepoop]

45. But Babbitt's SELLS Harleys???

<Before that, Kekoni said he approached a sales manager concerning some used Harley bikes in Babbitt's showroom. After Kekoni inquired about purchasing them, he said the sales manager told him, "You don't want to do that." >

They have used Harleys in their showroom... I would assume they are there to be shown and sold, no? But they have such a problem with their employees buying one of them? I just don't get it.