Baltimore Symphony Fires Flutist Sharing Covid Conspiracy Theories


But according to legal experts, businesses generally have ample latitude to fire employees they deem troublesome, as long as they do so in accordance with collective bargaining agreements. “People can be fired if what they say or their behavior hurts the cause or the culture,” Kathleen Cahill, a Maryland employment attorney, said in an interview. “Employees don’t have the ‘freedom’ and ‘First Amendment rights’ they often think of.”

Cahill added that amid the pandemic, employers will likely have more latitude to ask their employees to follow policies designed to keep their workplaces safe.

Skala shared false theories suggesting that the coronavirus was created in a laboratory in North Carolina; He also made posts that expressed concerns about the safety of vaccines. In the interview, she said she suffers from autoimmune disorders and is distressed by her efforts to make vaccines mandatory. He said he didn’t believe he needed to be tested for Covid-19 before visiting the orchestra’s offices to meet with staff there, as he was suspended from office and no longer performing.

“I was misunderstood,” he said. “I feel like I actually stopped.”

Earlier this year, Skala angered many of her colleagues for posting posts questioning the results of the 2020 presidential election. He has also been criticized for saying in emails to colleagues about his efforts to increase diversity at the Baltimore Symphony that Black families should do more to support their children’s classical music studies. (The emails were later leaked and posted on Twitter.) Also, in one of the leaked messages, she described being discriminated against early in her career as “a woman who is not a woman in the flute section of middle-aged Jewish men.”

The orchestra did not mention these comments when dismissing Skala. But in February, he made a statement when Skala’s remarks about the coronavirus and election fraud began to circulate. distancing oneself. “Miss. Skala is not speaking on behalf of the BSO and her statements do not reflect our core values ​​or code of conduct based on humanity and respect,” he said.

Critics of Skala said they were pleased with the orchestra’s decision to dismiss him. Melissa Wimbish, a Baltimore soprano, posted the leaked emails on Twitter in February. Performing with the orchestra, Wimbish also organized an online petition that collected more than 1,000 signatures for Skala to be punished.

“They have a responsibility to react to these statements and distance themselves,” Wimbish said, referring to the orchestra leaders in an interview. “It’s good to see there’s some justice.”



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