Former Toll Worker Allegedly Told Not to Say 'God Bless You' Files Lawsuit
A former New Jersey toll collector is suing the state after allegedly being told by her supervisor to stop telling motorists "God bless you."
"As they leave, I said, 'Have a good day, God bless you,'" Cynthia Fernandez told CBS 2.
Fernandez said that after a time, her supervisor called her into his office for a meeting, which is where she was reportedly warned about her behavior.
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"He told me he wanted to talk to me, that I couldn't say, 'God bless you,' anymore to customers because somebody might get offended. [The agency's policy] says 'provide customer service, smile' — it does say all that," Fernandez explained. "But it does not say in any line, 'Do not say, 'God bless you.'"
She hired an attorney to file the suit, claiming that her first amendment rights were violated by the agency. However, the New Jersey Turnpike Authority's spokesman, Tom Feeney, told WCBS that Fernandez resigned after only six weeks on the job because she was unhappy with the work schedule.
"She said nothing to the area manager about the alleged incident involving the plaza supervisor, and she didn't mention it in her resignation," Feeney noted. Her resignation letter actually only included the date she was leaving the position, he said.
"By saying, 'God bless you,' she's expressing herself as a Christian," Fernandez's attorney, Greg Noble, said. "And if an employer is going to restrain her ability to express herself in that way, not say something based on her religious belief, not disrupting the workplace, that's our concern."
Fernandez is suing for back pay with benefits as well as a cash settlement. She explained that she feels she is taking a stand for God.
Some have offered their support to the mother of three, while others agree that she should not have been saying "God bless you" to customers.
"I would feel deeply offended," CBS reader Rene Martin posted. "Keep you[r] religion to yourself, you're working in a toll booth, you're not on an evangelical mission."
"I think she should have gotten a RAISE for being so polite and have such superior people/customer service skills. Just think of how much nicer the world would be if more people said 'God bless you' and truly wished others well?" replied Ramon Ray.
