| Several years ago, Weyco (located in MI), a health care company, fired 4 employees for refusing to take a test to determine if they had smoked. Apparently, refraining from smoking on & off the job was a condition of employment at this company. The firings were upheld in court, as far as I know. The company has joined forces with Meritain Health, so I don't know whether or not the policy is still in place. As I recall, the owner didn't want to be responsible for what he considered the extra costs of employing smokers. I don't smoke & never have, so I don't really have any skin in the game. I guess employers are allowed to do what they want within reason, and this was considered to be within reason in Michigan, at least at the time.
P.S. Many years ago, a friend was fired from EDS because a coworker saw him at a party where some people were doing drugs. No one claimed that my friend was doing drugs, just that he was there & didn't leave. Employers have been sticking their nose into private lives for a long time. |