Preserving Employee Freedoms At NASA
Yesterday I helped my bestie Kira, a NASA employee in Houston, with this letter she wrote following passage of Texas’ abortion ban. Her ideas resonated with me & I think they are worth a read. Voices are stronger together, so if you can, share this to show your support. pic.twitter.com/7vPoyGv9wX
— Poppy Northcutt (@poppy_northcutt) September 4, 2021
The letter has some interesting ideas about how NASA and other federal agencies could actually do to help their employees. I am not sure what is actually feasible. It would be interesting to learn more, but I guess that is not NASAWatch.
Bravo I am sure she isn’t the only jsc employee wondering if their dream job now means sacrificing personal choice at home.
That could have been better written. Her first two ideas about what NASA could do may not be legal. Even if JSC is federal property, I’m not sure if people on campus are exempt from local laws. Or, given the weird enforcement provisions of this law, if they’re immune from lawsuits in local courts. They might be, in which case her first idea would be legal although it would get NASA involved in a highly politicized issue. The second idea, providing legal assistance to employees who are sued, is also doubtful. I don’t think government agencies can do that unless the suit is about something work-related.
However, the third idea (job assistance) makes sense. If NASA employees want to leave Texas over this law while staying in the field (and perhaps still working for NASA), NASA should help them do so. It also touches on something I consider a more clear cut issue to bring to the Administrator’s attention. This law will make it harder for NASA to retain or hire people to work at Johnson. That is of direct concern to the Agency. Given the issue, that might sound a bit cold and mercenary, but getting involved in abortion rights really is outside NASA’s charter. Concern for maintaining a skilled workforce is definitely within NASA’s charter. Even moving jobs out of Texas and to other NASA centers to do so would be perfectly legitimate.
The high-tech businesses that have congregated in Texas must be reconsidering their choice at this moment. Their workforces aren’t exactly known for their predilection for extreme right-wing policies. I know there’s been a long-term prediction that Texas politics will turn more blue over time, but it’s not happening yet.
Edit: I’d love to hear from “James in Southern Illinois” and “Hari”, who downvoted this comment, as to what their objections are to these assertions. Am I in error? Have the realities of the tech industry or Texas politics changed recently? Is my information faulty?
Instead, I will weep for each of those individuals who, regardless of gender, never had the opportunity to become a flight controller, flight director, astronaut, flight surgeon, administrator, spaceflight instructor, engineer, scientist, entrepreneur, writer, pilot, musician, artist, historian, machinist, pharmacist, philosopher, architect, brother, sister, father, or mother…and so many other possible dreams come true.
On her suggestions:
1) The JSC Clinic does not provide any services aside from physical exams and emergency treatments for illness or accidents on the job. They provide no services to dependents. I have a hard time foreseeing that they would offer abortions but not flu shots.
2) The Texas law does not provide for suing women seeking abortions. Only for suing abortion providers and those aiding/abetting an abortion. If a JSC employee is engaging in those activities outside of work time, it would be improper for her employer to shoulder the legal defense for her “extra-curriculars”. Just as I would not expect my day job to handle legal defense for my small business side-hustle.
3) Opportunities in the aerospace industry abound right now. No job seeking assistance is necessary, especially for someone of Ms. Altman’s credentials. Few in this industry are immune from having to make hard decisions when selecting geography in their career choice. It is unrealistic to expect your current employer to aid you in finding your next job.
You simply do not get it, do you?