“Men Working” Construction Sign Called Sexist
Local12: Controversy on Sinclair Community College’s campus, over a commonly used construction site sign. It reads “Men Working.” A Sinclair employee called the sign sexist, and demanded it be removed from the work site.
“They’re in a man’s world, they need to realize if they’re going to work in construction that it’s not always going to be geared towards them alone, you can’t change everything just because there’s a woman in the crew,” said Sarah Belden, Dayton resident.
On November 20th, crews from Jcrane Inc., got a call telling them they had to stop working on the site and remove the sign. Turns out the Manager of Construction and Projects for Sinclair, Elizabeth Verzi, called the sign sexist. “There was no women in the crew working on the building, it was politically correct,” said Belden.
While some don’t have a problem with the “Men Working” sign, others wish it was less gender specific. “I’d rather have crew at work or construction going on, something more broad,” said Alex Henry, Dayton resident.
Jcrane Inc., from Covington, was the crew on site. They sent us a statement saying, “Safety is our #1 concern. We use these signs frequently and have never had a problem before. It is our obligation to the students of Sinclair to provide them with a safe learning environment. In no way is the signage provided by Jcrane, in particular a “men working” sign, sexist.”
Others still disagree. “If it said women than yeah it would offend me,” said Henry. Sinclair College told WKEF-TV, “While it may not have been necessary to suggest that work be stopped, Sinclair stands by its commitment to providing an environment that is inclusive and non-discriminatory.”
The sign was taken down. According to Sinclair, the project is still underway, on budget, and on schedule.
If you are so easily offended by a sign, that was correctly describing an actual work scene, then you need to re-examine your priorities. Learn to pick your battles, too.
DCG