Two First Amendment Rights, Only One Protected: Last Man Standing (Sort Of) Gets It Right

One of my guilty pleasures is watching Tim Allen's show Last Man Standing. Guilty because, unlike the very apolitical Home Improvement, Tim Allen uses his new vehicle to take some slaps at President Obama and liberals in general. In a recent episode, Three Sundays, they addressed two rights protected by the First Amendment, how these rights play out in the workplace, and sorta kinda got them right. However, they didn't explain why one right was protected and one wasn't so I will.

Free Speech: The first issue was the right to free expression. Ryan, the despised-because-he's-a-liberal father of Mike's (the Allen character's) grandchild, has a blog where he posts pictures and criticizes situations he finds on the road (where he's a trucker for a beer company), such as environmental issues and encroachments on Native American land. His company takes umbrage and demands he take down the blog. The problem? He's wearing his uniform in the pictures. Mike tells him it's the right choice to take down the photos. Ryan asks, "I thought you supported my right to free speech, Mike?" Mike responds, "I do, but I also support your company's right to tell you to stuff it."

Mike got it right. As I've said before, the First Amendment doesn't protect your right to free speech at work. People freaked out when I wrote about this in the context of Duck Dynasty. Fewer cared about Ozzie Guillen when he commented about his love for Fidel. Your employer can fire you if they don't like your speech at work. The one exception that's notable is that they can't fire you if you aren't a supervisor and are talking to coworkers or to management on behalf of coworkers about working conditions. Had Ryan's blog been about working conditions then it may well have been protected.

Freedom of Religion: Kyle, the not-so-bright coworker and boyfriend of one of Mike's daughters, is being forced to work on Sundays and he wants time off to go to church. He asks Mike: "Do I have an amendment for my freedom of religion?" Mike says, "It's the same one.You can practice whatever religion you want. Nobody can tell you any different." Kyle then goes on to insist that his boss give him time off for church on Sundays. Here's where the show missed the boat. Kyle's right to have time off isn't from the First Amendment. It's from Title VII, the anti-discrimination law so hated by conservatives like Allen. Among other things, that law requires employers to grant reasonable accommodations for religious reasons and religious practices.

So, while you have rights under the First Amendment, those right aren't protected at work. However, federal and state discrimination laws protect you from religious discrimination. Will we hear Allen making any pro-Title VII comments on the show? Doubtful. And that's probably why he didn't mention it on the show. Title VII protects everyone - black, white, Hispanic, Protestant, Muslim, Atheist, Cuban, American, male, female -from discrimination at work. It probably protects you. It even protects Tim Allen in his workplace, real or fictional.