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Employees told to remove King T-shirts on MLK Day |
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Written by CHRISTOPHER MATTOX
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 DEERFIELD BEACH – While the rest of South Florida celebrated the birth and life of Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday, some employees of North Broward Medical Center say they were not allowed to show their appreciation for the slain civil rights leader.
Employees in the nutritional services department at the Deerfield Beach hospital have worn shirts and colors to commemorate several special days throughout the years, including Christmas and Halloween, they say. Wearing MLK shirts on MLK Day has been part of that tradition for at least seven years, they say.
But when workers showed up on Monday in their MLK T-shirts, they said, they were told to either take them off, cover them up, or go home. The action has created a stir among the workers.
Hospital officials said the T-shirts do not conform with the hospital’s uniform policy, and that the hospital posted a memo late last year advising employees of this fact.
“In all the years I have worked here, we have worn MLK shirts on MLK Day, the same as we wear red and white on Valentine’s Day and the same as we dress up for Halloween,” said Linda Horne, a seven-year veteran at the hospital.
Horne said she decided to leave work Monday when a supervisor told her to either cover up her shirt or go home for the day.
Horne said about 25 employees wore MLK shirts to work on Monday, Jan. 21, and most chose to either cover up their shirts or remove them altogether after they heard from a supervisor. Horne said she has not been reprimanded for deciding to take the day off.
Horne and fellow employee Martha Roane asked their supervisor why the T-shirts were not allowed. They were told that the decision came from Grace King, the hospital’s director of human resources.
“We deal with a multicultural patient base, and therefore we tried to make sure that everyone is in uniform,’’ said King, adding that only five employees were involved in the situation. “We try to just maintain a dress code policy.’’
Hospital officials say the uniform for workers in that department on most days of the week, including Monday, consists of pleated tuxedo pants or a black skirt, a white- collar tuxedo shirt, a black vest and black, closed-in shoes.
A hospital memo dated Dec. 24 lists those items as a “dress code reminder,’’ and states that “appropriate action will be taken if dress code is not followed.’’
T-shirts are never allowed, said King, who described herself as African American.
Horne said King implied that wearing the shirts would be offensive to some patients or customers.
“She said, ‘How would you feel if somebody wore a Ku Klux Klan shirt to work?’ People told her that that wasn’t the same thing, and she said the order came from her and that was it,” Horne said.
King on Thursday said she did not make that exact statement.
But, she said, “You can’t allow one group to wear what they want and then not allow another group to wear what they want to wear. You’ve got to be consistent.’’
Normally, the hospital sends out memos informing employees of what is and is not acceptable holiday attire. Horne and Roane said no memo was sent out this year informing the staff that T-shirts would not be allowed at work.
But King said that, in fact, the hospital did post a memo indicating that T-shirts were not to be worn.
In the past, the hospital has allowed employees to wear other clothing, including T-shirts, but that policy ended late last year, said Pauline Grant, the hospital’s CEO, who described herself as Jamaican-American.
A supervisor posted a notice in December stating that T-shirts were no longer allowed, Grant said.
“We have said no more T-shirts in patient-care areas,’’ Grant said. “In this kind of a setting, a T-shirt is not appropriate, regardless of what’s on it.’’
The hospital is part of Broward Health, formerly known as the North Broward Hospital District. The district includes NBMC as well as Broward General Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale, Coral Springs Medical Center, Imperial Point Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale and other health service facilities around the county.
The 409-bed NBMC does not recognize Martin Luther King Day as a paid holiday.
Horne and Roane said employees have dressed up for just about every other holiday, and even wear special clothing to show support for their favorite teams during football season, including during the Super Bowl.
“We just want to know what the problem is,’’ Horne said. “We already have to work on that day. Fine, I understand. But why now, all of a sudden, we can’t even wear shirts in support? There is something wrong with that. They couldn’t even give us a real reason.”
King said employees are allowed to take a day off to participate in King Day activities.
Grant said she is very disappointed in the whole situation.
“The life and work of Martin Luther King is not just about wearing a T-shirt,’’ Grant said. “It is about doing what’s right regardless of race, color, creed. And that’s what we try to do here for every one of the employees at this medical center.’’
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Photo: Linda Horne
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