The Advocate has received a tip that Wilsonville, Oregon based Teledyne Flir terminated the employment of a longtime employee for his criticism of Gay Pride Month flyers which had been posted inside the work building by management, while the company instead no longer celebrated Veteran’s Day.
The employee, Tim Kretzschmar, is a veteran of the United States Marine Corps who served from 2003 to 2011 and did tours during Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operating Enduring Freedom. After his honorable discharge from the Marines he re-enlisted into the US Army National Guard and served from 2013 to 2016, earning another honorable discharge.
Tim Kretzschmar has shared his account with the Advocate in a statement he requested to be published,
“Good afternoon
This will be a summary of my recent “actions” and untimely removal from employment. I was not given a warning, wrote up or suspension. I’ll send my emails I wrote to HR and our site manager, related to and also referencing the companies internal downfall after selling out
On the first few days of June, I noticed the pride flyers posted on the community cork boards. I was shocked and annoyed at first, but I chose to send a eloquently wrote email to HR notifying them of the offensive material. My email was ignored for over a week until I CC’d HR‘s boss and finally got a half-assed reply. (See email)
As a disabled veteran with PTSD, I mentioned how the recent removal of the Veterans Day holiday and there lack of acknowledgement for PTSD awareness month was very disheartening. The majority of their employees and customers are Veterans or law enforcement/border patrol. FLIR used to pride itself on protecting the lives/livelihoods of the customer as well as being charitable, Teledyne only cares about profit and virtue signaling.
I “allegedly” removed the gay flyers and placed my own PTSD awareness flyers up on the community court boards. There is no proof or evidence, minus hearsay, that I removed them or any other “work” materials. I was unable to confront my accusers or even have a face to face with HR. My fliers were also repeatedly removed on the company‘s community cork boards.
With the removal of MLK day as a holiday, being replaced with Juneteenth, the majority of the employees were scared of retaliation for speaking up against the racist division, equity and un-inclusivity. HR and the site manager ignored emails or gave inadequate responses. The site manager ignored my email or comments during an all-hands meeting. My honest question about the smoke pit not being within the law, was quickly dismissed even with facts/solutions offered. The company clearly wants followers, not leaders, and offers minimal to nothing for compensation.
On 6/14, flag day, I was pulled aside by my supervisor for an alleged performance review. I reluctantly followed without my phone or care of retaliation. The meeting room has curtains drawn, unable to see his supervisor and manager hiding behind the door with HR on a cell phone speaker. They said they were letting me go because of my alleged actions with no chance of redemption. I reminded them I was just about to take 3 weeks off, 3 bereavement, 2 holidays and PTO, returning me after July 4th. I reminded them that my fliers were just, as I, and many other employees, suffer from PTSD with many of us, including myself, taking medication.
In response they repeated their racist trope about DEI, which I reminded them does the exact opposite and only virtue signals to the few. Some of our customers in the Middle East have far worse actions to the alphabet community. I “thanked” them for the $1 “raise” after 3 years of work and I was the sole provider to my wife and son, just days before my Bday/Father’s Day. Thankfully my PTO was paid out 6/16 thought I’m not sure if it’s correct and how I can access my other benefits; I still have stock options and $2,500 sitting in my account. My desk was cleared, incompletely (coworkers have grabbed excess items) and I reminded my supervisor he’s not allowed by law to touch my meds. His manager claimed he was a Vet and could do so, but I still felt uneasy with them touching my belongings. I was escorted out of the South entrance, away from anyone, then they told the service group of my departure (unsure of what was said).
FLIR was once a great company that many sought to work for or purchase from. Once they sold out and bragged about saving money, the employees saw very little compensation and were ignored when low pay, inflation, morale, benefits and more were brought up. Nepotism exists and is ignored, I missed out on a marketing position because the marketing manager chose his friend/coworkers wife instead. He gave me a mediocre spiel about being a Marine, “fixing” my resume and keeping me abreast of future opportunities. I have heard no word from him and doubt he’ll reach out to me now.
I showed up everyday during the “pandemic” and was lightly compensated while many enjoyed remote work, some still do to this day or a hybrid version. I volunteered often and was doing multiple jobs at once with only a $25 gift card as compensation. I haven’t had a write up in years and those minor issues were remedied immediately. My few encounters with HR were unjust with minimal facts/evidence. The majority of the overworked and underpaid employee agree with me but can’t afford to speak up/lose their job. The company is hemorrhaging employees with very few wanting to apply, due to the lack of everything. They nearly had a massive walk out to the illegal “vax” mandate and the unnecessary extension of mask mandates. I waited until the last minute to submit my religious exemption because medical exemptions were being denied/ignored, “science.”
Sincerely,
Tim Kretzschmar, Sgt USMC inactive
Semper Fidelis“
The emails which Tim Kretzschmar forwarded to the Advocate are as follows,
In an email dated June 2, he sent the following email to Amy McFarland,
In another email dated June 8, Tim Kretzschmar replied to an email sent by Teledyne Flir Vice President of Operations Robin Tate with another attempt to voice his complaint and get his concerns addressed, and was met with a reply to his first email but apparently not his response,
Based on Tim Kretzschmar’s account it would appear this defense contractor has decided that embracing the virtue signaling fad of Gay Pride Month is more important than honoring Veteran’s Day and treating their veteran employees and their families with respect. Anyone who criticizes the company’s priorities is fired unceremoniously.
