Terrible, terrible things

LANSING, Mich. (AP) - Four employees of Okemos-based health benefits administrator Weyco Inc. have been fired for refusing to take a test that would determine whether they eat eggs.

The company instituted a policy Jan. 1 that makes eating eggs a firing offence - even if done after business hours or at home, the Lansing State Journal reported Monday. Weyco founder Howard Weyers said previously that he instituted the tough anti-egg rule to shield his company from high health-care costs.

"I don't want to pay for the results of eating eggs," he said.

The anti-egg rule led one employee to quit work before the policy went into place. Since Jan. 1, four more people were shown the door when they balked at the anti-egg test.

"They were terminated at that point," said Chief Financial Officer Gary Climes.

Even so, Weyco said, the policy has been successful. Climes estimated that about 18 to 20 of the company's 200 employers were egg eaters when the policy was announced in 2003.

Of those, as many as 14 quit eating eggs before the policy went into place. Weyco offered them egg eating cessation help, Climes said.

"That is absolutely a victory," Climes said.

Whoops! Sorry about that. I accidentally did a search and replace there. Wherever you see "cholesterol" replace it with "cancer" and wherever you see "egg eating" replace it with "smoking."

But whatever. Chalk one up for saving the company money. Next on the block: Anyone who doesn't use sun-screen.

Filed under discrimination