Maybe David Siegel, billionaire president of Westgate Resorts, needed to read BLR’s special report on political activity in the workplace, 2012 Election Issues for Employers. If he had, he probably wouldn’t have written the e-mail letter where he tells employees they will lose their jobs if Obama is reelected.
No, the letter is not fake; Siegel confirmed to Gawker that he wrote it using a chain letter he received in the last election as a “guideline.”
Contrary to some media reports, Siegel didn’t threaten to fire employees who vote for Obama. “Of course, as your employer, I can’t tell you whom to vote for, and I certainly wouldn’t interfere with your right to vote for whomever you choose. In fact, I encourage you to vote for whomever you think will serve your interests the best,” he writes in the letter.
Rather, he says if Obama is reelected, his company will be taxed more. “We pay state taxes, federal taxes, property taxes, sales and use taxes, payroll taxes, workers’ compensation taxes, and unemployment taxes. I even have to hire an entire department to manage all these taxes,” he writes. And if his company is taxed more, he says he will probably have to “downsize” by reducing the number of workers.
All in all, the letter probably did more harm than good in terms of bad publicity. Guess Siegel never heard this advice: If you are upset, write a letter; read it back to yourself; rip it into little pieces; and toss it.