HAMDEN, Conn. — A shift manager at a DiBello’s sub shop was told to leave work this past Friday for wearing a mask in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.
In a Facebook live video viewed thousands of times, Andre Alexander explains why he was told to leave moments when starting his shift at DiBella’s Subs in Hamden.
Alexander was wearing a mask that said "Black Lives Matter" and the faces of those now gone, like George Floyd.
Alexander spoke with FOX61, saying at first, everything was fine, but things took a slight turn when approached by one of his bosses saying the mask had to go before starting his shift.
Alexander said, “She said I had to take it off and I would have to use a different mask, a blue disposable mask which they have and I refused and I said I will not take my mask off and that she would have to offer to send me home and she did.”
Saturday, Alexander protested alongside other members of the community.
According to Alexander, the company tried to make amends, even pay him for the day while he was protesting, but Alexander says he declined.
Alexander said, “The COO wanted to schedule a meeting with me and the CEO which I declined. I don’t want to have that meeting with the CEO without legal counsel first, so as we speak, I am not fired, I am still employed I am still on the schedule, but we will see what happens.”
Alexander says he was aware the company already had previous mandates on what is acceptable to wear at work saying one of them said no symbols or letters could be on a mask.
Issues like these have been brought up by Alexander before when he says he was placed in a committee with the company to tackle concerns like this one.
Alexander says he hears the other side, but this means so much more to him.
“There were rules when Rosa Parks did what she did, there was rules when Blacks weren’t allowed in restaurants, businesses and establishments there was rules the, but they had to be broken for a certain reason,” said Alexander.
Alexander says going forward he would like a statement to be put out by the company, an apology and the ability to support the Black Lives Matter Movement.
AJ Shear, the DiBella’s Subs Director of Marketing, issued this statement Monday morning:
"DiBella’s Subs feels very strongly about equality and social justice, and we take this accusation very seriously.
This incident has nothing to do with the Black Lives Matter message on this individual’s mask. Employees are not allowed to wear ANY masks other than the company-issued masks.
DiBella’s Subs requires all employees to wear company-issued uniforms, including company-issued masks. The original company mask policy was implemented in April 2020, which allowed employees to wear their own masks as long as they did not have symbols or words. In June of 2020 we were able to source enough masks to consistently provides them to all employees as part of their uniform. Our mask policy of company-issued masks is critical to ensure that every mask is clean, safe and hygienic.
This employee was asked to switch his personal mask for the company-issued mask. This same policy applies to other pieces of the uniform for all DiBella’s employees, such as company-issued shirts.
Unfortunately, this weekend we’ve been seeing misinformation spread.
We pride ourselves on inclusive values, and we have already launched several Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives with employees across our entire footprint this year.
DiBella’s COO Bill Kressner – who has had several conversations with Andre in recent months as DiBella’s worked to launch new Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives – reached out to Andre and offered to talk with him about his concerns. Andre has been a strong leader and a valued employee. They spoke Saturday and Bill approved the day off for Andre to protest.
As a family-owned company, with vested interest in Hamden, Connecticut and all of the communities we serve, DiBella's Subs strives to foster a familial culture throughout all of our markets. We value our employees' perspectives, and we are committed to their continued growth. We encourage an open dialogue, and believe conversations drive positive change."