Employee Told To Remove US Flag Pin

26-Year-Old Sent Home From Work At Casa Monica Hotel

POSTED: Thursday, October 13, 2011
UPDATED: 10:06 pm EDT October 13, 2011

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. -- Sean May has been wearing an American flag pin to work every day for the last two years.

"In this day, I kind of feel like it has a little bit more of a powerful meaning than just a pin on somebody's jacket, and I wear it with pride because I like where I live and I love this country," May said.

The 26-year-old front desk supervisor at Casa Monica Hotel in the heart of downtown St. Augustine was told to take the pin off Thursday because it violates company policy.

"I've actually gotten probably more compliments about it than any of the service I've actually done at the hotel, which is an interesting concept," May said. "And I told her, I said, 'I don't feel I need to take this off,' and she told me, 'Well, you've got a choice. You can go home or you can remove the pin.' And I said, 'Well, I'm not going to remove the pin, so I guess I'm going home.'"

May said Casa Monica recently had a change in command at the corporate level and is trying to revamp its image.

A spokesperson for the hotel released this statement: "Casa Monica has always had the personal appearance guidelines, and they are currently being enforced."

"It seems silly. It seems so, so silly in the long run," May said. "They're so upset about a little pin, and yet I come to work every day and flying over the hotel there's a gigantic American flag."

May said he loves his job, but he's willing to risk it to stand up for what he feels is right.

"Why would I want to work for a company that isn't going to be supportive of what I believe in and what I'm working towards?" May said. "I think that if they do get rid of me over this, it will open a lot of eyes for other people."

May is so avid about trying to change the company policy that he wrote a letter to the corporate office.

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