EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE Mindful Communications
Aaron W. Johnson, MEM-2783
awj@aipg.org
In September of 2008, I was living in Maryville, Missouri, a small town of about 12,000 people that was the county seat for Nodaway County, Missouri. Maryville was (and continues to be) home to a thriving business community, host to Northwest Missouri State University (NWMSU) and her 6,000 students, and a hub of commerce for local farmers who raise corn and soybeans on the rich, dark soils in the region. In many ways, Maryville was a microcosm of Missouri, and of the United States; a raucous mix of liberals and conservatives, students and educators, farmers and businessmen, libertarians of all stripes, and blue collar men and women (and their families) who made Kawasaki engines or manufactured chains, drain- age culverts, and, at least for a while, Energizer Batteries. The variety of political opinions in Maryville, and the fervor with which those opinions were held, was rivaled only by the town’s love of the NWMSU Bearcat Football program.1
On a Saturday in September of 2008, just as the students came back to town and the 2008 Presidential contest was heating up, I heard a knock at the door. It was a gentleman in early middle-age (let’s say around 40) who was going door- to-door stumping for the Presidential candidate he favored. He was wearing jeans and a uniform shirt with a strip of duct tape covering the logo of the company for which he worked. It seemed obvious to me that he’d finished his Saturday shift, and immediately set out extolling the virtues of his candidate as he went from house to house. It wasn’t the first time someone had visited our home hoping to convince one or both of us to vote for a specific candidate, and it wouldn’t be the last time. What made this visit stand out, to me, was the strip of duct tape covering the logo on the man’s shirt. Try as I might, I was unable to steer the conversation to that strip of duct tape, and was left wondering about its purpose long after the gentleman left.
Fast forward a week. It’s Saturday, game day in Maryville, and my family and I have tickets to go watch the Bearcats play Missouri Western State University, the Bearcats biggest rival. Our family routine on gameday when we had tickets was to leave early and have lunch at the local sports bar. Afterward, we would walk to the stadium for the game.2 During lunch, I saw the same gentleman, wearing the same shirt, this time, with no tape over the logo. He worked for Sears. I excused myself, and politely asked if he had a minute to visit. I asked him why he had duct tape over the Sears logo on his shirt
when he had come to my door to talk about his candidate of choice. He replied that his Sears branch had a strict policy with respect to political speech while exhibiting the company logo. His employment agreement stated clearly that he had every right to engage in political speech and that his employer had every right to terminate his employment if he engaged in said speech on company time or while exhibiting the company logo. He’d forgotten to grab an extra shirt to wear after work, so he had solved the problem with duct tape.3
The story above reflects a common concern for businesses and employees. Every American has the right to campaign for candidates and legislation they support. Every business has a right to protect its logo or trademark and to ensure that any political speech that is made by an employee does not appear to be speech on behalf of the business or its owners. It’s a fine line but a necessary one. One employee doesn’t speak for a company unless the company has designated that person to speak on their behalf. In a similar fashion, members of an organization don’t speak on behalf of that organization unless they are designated to do so.
So, why the long story about Maryville, Missouri and a Sears field repair technician with duct tape on his shirt? Partly to wax poetic about Maryville. It’s a great place filled with great people. Mostly though, this story is an illustration and admonition to remind all of us, that while we can engage in any political speech we deem appropriate for ourselves, we must be mindful of the appearance that we may be speaking on behalf of the company for which we work, or for a profes- sional organization, such as AIPG.
To that end, as this political season swings into high gear, I encourage each of you to exercise your right to speak for the candidates of your choosing. I also encourage you to become familiar with your employer’s policies regarding company uni- forms, logos, and speech while “in uniform.” Similarly, I remind each of you that while AIPG often speaks out in support of or against specific legislation, AIPG does not endorse candidates for political office. If you are an officer of AIPG at the National level or within your specific section, please check the National or Sectional bylaws to be certain that your political activism does not run afoul of AIPG’s procedures and policies.
With warmest regards and best wishes for a great summer, Aaron
1. Since 1995, the NWMSU Bearcat Football Program has an overall record of 291-48 (an astonishing winning percentage of 0.858) and 9 NCAA Division 2 Title Game appearances with 5 National Titles. Not to be outdone, the NWMSU Men’s Basketball team is 250-45 (0.847) since 2011 with 2 NCAA titles including a perfect 38-0 season in 2018-2019. In Maryville, their passion for politics is on a par with their passion for sports.
2. The Bearcats won a thrilling game 42-35 and would end the season playing in their fourth consecutive NCAA Division II Championship Game. They lost to Minnesota Duluth, which marked the 4th consecutive Championship Game LOSS for the ‘Cats. That’s an NCAA record comparable to the Buffalo Bills 4 consecutive Super Bowl losses.
3. He taped over the logo before leaving to go on the stump. His boss agreed that the covering was sufficient. Another example of the 1001 uses of duct tape.
36 TPG •
Jul.Aug.Sep 2020
www.aipg.org
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