Bath & Body Works Manager Doesn’t Want to Work With “Satanists”
A sales manager at a Bath & Body Works in Hartford, Connecticut was allegedly fired by her new regional manager for making a religious pilgrimage to Salem for Samhain. Gina Uberti, who had been working for the chain for eight years, and taking the pilgrimage for six, had already gotten prior approval from her former regional manager for the Samhain trip. But her new boss, Sandra Scibelli, had other ideas.
“Uberti says she explained that her vacation had already been approved and that she was celebrating a religious holiday. Uberti says Scibelli responded, “That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. Let me ask you where your priorities should have been?” Uberti says she asked what was ridiculous, and Scibelli replied: “Well, you will need a new career in your new year.” Scibelli allegedly added, “I will be damned if I have a devil-worshipper on my team.” Uberti says she was fired in November 2008. She seeks lost wages and punitive damages for religious discrimination.”
Oops! Doesn’t sound like a great PR move for Bath & Body Works during a recession and just before the Winter holidays. Maybe the Pagan community (and their allies) should contact the firm and tell them they’ll be buying their nice-smelling soaps and bubble-baths elsewhere this year. If they don’t want “devil-worshippers” on their “team”, then they certainly don’t want any of our filthy Pagan money! Perhaps Bath & Body Works should ask Sandra Scibelli where her priorities are. If you’d like to read the full complaint, click here.
29 responses so far
Thank you for posting this!
[...] up there’s a story over at Wild Hunt that details a lawsuit by a former Bath & Body Works employee who was fairly clearly fired for her Religious … is stirring up comments and a good argument for the Pagan community examining how and were we spend [...]
Guess we will have to turn our support to LUSH! Fresh, handmade all natural. Pagans at the head of the company. With products Like jingle Spells, Potion Lotion, Witch Ball bath bomb, Ceridwen’s Cauldron bath melts we can turn our dollars to good ETHICAL companies.
No animal testing on ANY component EVER! 100% vegetarian products 75% of their products are also Vegan.
http://Www.lushUSA.com
I like Bath n body..I will still shop there no matter what…and FIRE the HO…the manager HORE! that BISHHH.ch.
[...] seeing this in a tweet, I read this article posted up on The Wild Hunt that a Bath and Body works manager was fired when taking off a week [...]
Hard to believe it still happens, but it does. True, they don’t want our money, sux because I love the candles, but I will live without.
Scathing e-mail sent!
thanks for the link, it was an interesting clip!
Wicked retarded. I can’t tell which one is dumb and dumber here. The author of the story or the victim. Uberti? Is that a seafood or something you scrap off your heel coming in from outside. I would love to see respective GED’s produced.
[...] Beth Owl’s Daughter reminds us that Freedom of Religion is one of those Rights that is not simply handed to us, we must be willing to stand up and invoke and protect our rights. Even with legal protections in place we can face hardship and injustice simply for our faiths. [...]
It doesn't, that's the point.
Personally I am angered and could spit nails right now.
I think we should all not only boycott the company, but hold protests in front of every bath and body works store. Peaceful yes, but we need to stand up and be heard.
It is obvious that we do not have freedom of religion in this country if such practices are allowed. We must stand up for our rights!
[...] Coverage at The Wild Hunt. [...]
[...] next question, which some people have been discussing over at the Wild Hunt, is whether Uberti should have even told the manager the reason for her absence or vacation. In an [...]
Lols, you so funny spork.
Wicca is a Religion. It’s okay for all those FOREIGN people to get days off,and do their thing that only THEY do,us AMERICANS don’t. And MORONS…..Wiccan’s DON’T believe in the “devil” so how can she be a “satanist”????? Give the lady her job back and PAY HER!!!!!
[...] I first reported on it, the story of the fired Bath & Body Works employee who claims she was let go after her newly appo… has spread like wildfire through the Pagan community with many calling for a boycott of the chain [...]
[...] Dollar. This issue was highlighted for me again this October when The Wild Hunt did a story about a Wiccan who alleges that Bath and Body Works fired her for her religion. It was actually in the comments/discussion of this last story that my thoughts on Pagan Economic [...]
[...] power. Or do we? It seems pagans are writing into the company and boycotting the store. The Wild Hunt talks a bit about the boycott and provides a handy link for contacting the company to state your [...]
[...] the press, they settle. Better a lump sum than humble pie. A trend we may well see repeated in the Bath & Body Works and Google [...]
I'm a former human resources director and I used to set policy for dealing with misconduct and termination.
According to the complaint, all of her performance appraisals were good, she had received bonuses, and she had no documented misconduct. After several years of good performance, one alleged phone call, and a termination weeks later, most likely they'll rule in favor of the complainant. There is legal precedent for this.
The plaintiff would have to come up with a strong, serious reason for termination with plenty of witnesses. Otherwise, she would have received a warning for some sort of misconduct rather than being fired. In the absence of serious employee misconduct, it will be assumed that the only reason there could be for the termination is religious discrimination.
We used to clearly document misconduct prior to termination, make sure that similar situations were handled similarly, and give people three warnings prior to a termination. Regardless of whether the phone call went exactly as stated, it was very unwise to fire that employee. If I were in charge of HR for the plaintiff, that regional manager would undergo disciplinary action for terminating a good employee – never mind the lawsuit. Good employees are considered corporate assets.
As the others have said, it is illegal and just plain wrong to discriminate due to religious beliefs. And additionally, as others have said, if you would have bothered to read it, oftentimes it is required to clarify why you are requesting time off at a time that may be unexpected by said manager or other upper staff. It's not that she was making a big deal out of it at the time, but clearly the manager is in the wrong, and not the employee.
Additionally, I really can't stand people such as yourself who tend to give a single positive comment to try and get people on your side, then go for the rest of the entire commentary with negative, intolerant drivel.
Learn to accept other beliefs and other ways of believing, or when those students file formal complaints about you and get you disciplined yourself for being inflexible to their religious and family needs, don't expect anyone to listen to your complaints.
It's called my money, my right to do whatever I want with it.
Just talking to a company typically doesn't work. It gets you a form letter back telling, just as in this case, that they don't support discrimination blah blah blah.
Speak with your wallet, and you'll always get more appreciable results.
And frankly, if people don't act as one to support wrongdoing against those sharing their discriminated social status, things like this will keep happening and, likely, get worse and worse. If you let these companies keep taking ground, they will not stop.
I do not take my custom to stores where I have been treated rudely or where people I know have been discriminated against. And if it is a chain, I do not shop there again. If it is because of the policy of a manager or regional manager, I complain to the company and do not take my custom there again until the matter has been resolved to my satisfaction. And that is my right because it is my money; I don't have to shop anywhere…I don't even have to have most of the items carried in stores like Bath and Body Works! They aren't necessities, by any stretch of the imagination. They are luxuries, and therefore easily excised from budget.
So before you start going on and on about how people are getting in an uproar over something you don't understand, think about it. Being decisive and acting against a firm clearly discriminatory against our social status will make other firms think twice about this same sort of action. And because of it, perhaps in future we won't have to do this sort of thing.
As for now, however, I see absolutely nothing wrong in supporting someone clearly wronged by an individual in a position of rather high authority who abused that authority and was not reprimanded by the company itself. Since the situation has exacerbated, the only adequate solution will be compensation for the worker fired due to her beliefs and a full apology to all who share those beliefs.
Until then…forget it. I always liked Lush better anyway.
1951- Anti-Witchcraft laws were abolished
1972- IRS recognizes Witchcraft as a religion
1985- U.S. Supreme Court recognizes Wicca as a legalized religion and grants tax exempt status
Also, recently in the last year, The Wiccan pentacle is put on the embelm list for national cemetaries and headstones (this pagan symbol stands for the (5 elements air, fire, water, earth & spirit, the cirlce is the cirle of life)
Witches and Wiccans are often associated with Satan, which we do not even believe in- this is a Christian concept.
Our rede is "Harm none, do what thy Will" and we are a nature loving religion that follows the cycle of the seasons, and the phases of the moon. Samhain is a pagan holiday, which is where many of our Halloween customs derived from, and because the veils between the worlds are the thinnest, we honor and remember family, friends and pets who have passed on, as well as our ancestors. This is the final harvest celebration, and considered the Witches New Year, where we release things in our life that no longer serves us, and bring in the postive things we want for ourselves for the coming year.
More…..
It saddens me that Witches are Wiccans continue to be discriminated against in this day and age, but it happens often, and many of us stay in the "Broom closet" for fear of being persecuted as Miss Uberti allegedly was. We are everywhere walking among you, holding professional jobs, and making a positive difference in this world. If anyone who like to know more about the truth of Witchcraft and Wicca, feel free to contact me at:
talaWWitch@webtv.net. Thanks ((Jerry)) for publishing this article
Love, Tala
I'm sorry- I thought I was posting this in the Boston Herald, in reference to the article about this subject that I was interviewed on, and just published yesterday (Sat 12/12/09) To view the recently published Herald article on this subject you can to to:
http://www.bostonherald.com/users/confirm/2708cca...
Love, Tala
You should be boycotting Bath and Body Works anyway for their involvement in Israel's illegal occupation of Palestine. This should just be another straw.
I left a comment and disposed of all vs corp cards. I will not tolerate outright discrimination. Blessed be and happy Yule.
Just another uneducated person making uneducated remarks. People like this should do their research before making such idiotic remarks.