Stephanie Cannon said she was made to feel 'like a leper' at the Minnesota hospital where she worked as a receptionist.
She insists she never smoked at the Frauenshuh Cancer Center, cutting back on her pack-a-day habit to avoid smoking on her breaks or in her car.
© Kstp.comUnfair dismissal? Stephanie Cannon said she was made to feel 'like a leper' at the Minnesota hospital where she worked.
Cannon claims she was told by her supervisor to avoid contact with her husband, also a smoker, in the mornings before work and to shower at the hospital rather than at home.
But she resisted their efforts to help her quit, telling kstp.com: 'not now, the time isn't right,' adding that the atmosphere became 'volatile' after she turned down the help.
© Kstp.comFired: Cannon is looking for a new job after being booted out of the Frauenshuh Cancer Center.
'What I do in my home or outside of work when I'm not punching into that little clock is my business,' she said. 'I shouldn't have to be made like I'm a leper.'
Under state law an employer is not allowed to fire personnel for doing something that is not illegal, like smoking, if it takes place off the premises during non-work hours.
© Kstp.comStrict: Cannon insists she never smoked on the premises.
But they are allowed to restrict the use of products, like tobacco, if they form a genuine occupation-related hazard.
Chuck Samuelson of the American Civil Liberties Union told the news channel: 'Basically your rights as a a smoker end where other people's noses begin.
'In fact you can make the argument that your rights as a smoker end when other people breathe in the air that comes off of you.'
Park Nicollet refused to comment.
and personally don't like the smell, but this is quite ridiculous. Especially all that she did to not smell of smoke.