Clearing the air in Ayer

Whether you are a town employee or a contractor, you may no longer be able to light up a cigarette behind the wheel while on the job come January.

[HerrBGone]

Ayer's streets are bad enough as it is after it snows. How much worse will they be after the contract plow drivers go to work for other towns?

[not in this economy]

I highly doubt in this economy someone is going to turn down money just because of a nonsmoking policy. I did not think smoking is that out of hand.

[HerrBGone]

I'm not saying they'll turn down a job. Just that they may look for that job in a different town. Of course, if that means there will be different people driving Ayer's plows that may actually be an improvement!

[Freakinhadit]

Talk about "big brother". Are we overstepping some bounds here? Some of these proposals fly in the face of common sense. For crying out loud, you'd think the way these anti smoking zealots are talking that the result of a plow truck going by with a lit cigarette in it would be the same result of the mustard gas attacks in WWI. For crying out loud, GET OUT OF MY PERSONAL LIFE!!! You moroons are some of the same dolts that want to legalize smoking dope too, so whats up with that, you can toke on a doobie but not a cgarette??

[Ayer Comments]

Maybe I am missing something but no one is telling employees they can't smoke, its just that they can't smoke while working, not an uncommon rule in private companies. There is no smoking anywhere in the building I work in, including within 10 feet away of all entrances.

[Ayer Comments]

Maybe I am missing something but no one is telling employees they can't smoke, its just that they can't smoke while working, not an uncommon rule in private companies. There is no smoking anywhere in the building I work in, including within 10 feet away of all entrances.

[Disgusted]

Ayer Comments wrote:

Maybe I am missing something but no one is telling employees they can't smoke, its just that they can't smoke while working, not an uncommon rule in private companies. There is no smoking anywhere in the building I work in, including within 10 feet away of all entrances.

That isn't a broblem, but when you have a "tobacco enforcement officer" doing a sniff test on a private vehicle, used as a contractor to plow streets a 2:00AM and then fine the guy $100, thats pushing the limit. There are smoking regulations where I work also, and they are not as intrusive as this big brothe bullcrap.

[JRock]

Ayer is a shi*h0le

[dick madigan]

hey HerrBGone !!! drive to surrounding town's [assuming you have a license ] during a snow event
[thats a storm to you ] the town of Ayer is known for having the BEST plowed roads in the area , bar none... look it up..a few drivers may smoke during the course of a several day storm and the roads are plowed just fine. I would think the local BOH would have many other more important issues to deal with. are they worried about budget cuts and trying to justify their significance?

[taxpayer]

Ayer's roads are bad? need improvement after a storm? I commute daily many town's away and am grateful when I reach the town line and the roads are down to the blacktop...always, good job Ayer!!! at 3 am when I am sleeping and a contractor is plowing my road so I can drive to work when I awake the fact that he may be smoking a cigarette in his private vehicle is irrelavant.
This is a bit much.

[curiouser]

hey everyone: an independent contractor is not an employee and probably not be subject to the smoking ban. Whoever said it is correct: an employer, public or private, cannot tell anyone, employees included, what they can do in their own cars, or trucks, for that matter.
The ban seems to be directed at those employees in buildings who are smoking outside when they should be inside working... elected officials included.