Rasp
Senior Editor
Southerner to sue BJ's over flag ban
BJ's Employee Files Confederate Flag Lawsuit
Employee: BJ's Won't Allow Pickup With Confederate Flag On Property
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- A worker will sue his employer, BJ's Wholesale Club, over a Confederate flag flap, his attorney confirmed on Tuesday.
Bobby Tillett first spoke with Channel 4 in May of 2008, when he said he was told he couldn't park his pickup truck, which flies a Confederate flag, in the employee lot.
Tillett said his managers told him if he did not remove the flag, he couldn't park in the employee lot. Instead of removing the flag, Tillett decided to park on public property about a half-mile from the BJ's off Pri
tchard Road.
Nearly one year later, Tillett's attorney confirmed that Tillett plans to sue BJ's.
"I'm a firm believer it's not about winning or losing, it's about right and wrong. It's definitely wrong," Tillett told Channel 4 last May.
BJ's made the following statement about the controversy:
"Like all employers, we have guidelines of appropriate personal behavior and expression at work. While the policy does not identify any specific type of expression, it generally prohibits expression that is rude, abusive, hostile or intimidating. Under these guidelines, we asked this team member to not display the Confederate flag in our parking lot. We are confident that we have struck the right balance for all of our team members and their work environment."
However, Tillett disagrees with the company's stance, and he will fight it in court.
"It's about heritage; it's about pride," :confed: Tillett said in May.
"I
don't look at it much different than the American flag. There's been a lot of blood spilled over that flag, too, and I love that flag, and I'll fly it 'till the day I die."
Tillett has not commented publicly about the lawsuit against BJ's.
Previous Stories:
BJ's Employee Files Confederate Flag Lawsuit
Employee: BJ's Won't Allow Pickup With Confederate Flag On Property
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- A worker will sue his employer, BJ's Wholesale Club, over a Confederate flag flap, his attorney confirmed on Tuesday.
Bobby Tillett first spoke with Channel 4 in May of 2008, when he said he was told he couldn't park his pickup truck, which flies a Confederate flag, in the employee lot.
Tillett said his managers told him if he did not remove the flag, he couldn't park in the employee lot. Instead of removing the flag, Tillett decided to park on public property about a half-mile from the BJ's off Pri
tchard Road.
Nearly one year later, Tillett's attorney confirmed that Tillett plans to sue BJ's.
"I'm a firm believer it's not about winning or losing, it's about right and wrong. It's definitely wrong," Tillett told Channel 4 last May.
BJ's made the following statement about the controversy:
"Like all employers, we have guidelines of appropriate personal behavior and expression at work. While the policy does not identify any specific type of expression, it generally prohibits expression that is rude, abusive, hostile or intimidating. Under these guidelines, we asked this team member to not display the Confederate flag in our parking lot. We are confident that we have struck the right balance for all of our team members and their work environment."
However, Tillett disagrees with the company's stance, and he will fight it in court.
"It's about heritage; it's about pride," :confed: Tillett said in May.
"I
don't look at it much different than the American flag. There's been a lot of blood spilled over that flag, too, and I love that flag, and I'll fly it 'till the day I die."
Tillett has not commented publicly about the lawsuit against BJ's.
Previous Stories:
- May 1, 2008: Worker Battles Employer Over Confederate Flag