FedEx Driver Fired Over TikTok Saying He Doesn't Deliver Packages to Biden and BLM Supporters
Updated July 1 2023, 11:23 a.m. ET
Folks, be careful what you post on social media. While TikTok is a great platform for discovering new trends and sharing your opinions with others, it's also a very public platform that your employer can easily access. If you post controversial content or content regarding your work, your employer does have the authority to fire you. Take it from this nurse who was fired for posting TikToks with racist and homophobic comments.
Now, former FedEx worker Vincent Paterno is out of a job after he posted a video to TikTok regarding the houses he would and would not deliver packages to. Did the video lead him to get fired? Here's what we know.
Vincent Paterno went viral on TikTok after posting a video regarding BLM, President Joe Biden, and Vice President Kamala Harris.
On Sept. 16, then FedEx employee Vincent Paterno posted a video to his TikTok account, @vincentmrworldwid, in which he explained — while wearing his FedEx uniform — that he would not be delivering any packages to houses that showed support for the Black Lives Matter movement, President Joe Biden, or Vice President Kamala Harris.
"I will not deliver your s---,” he announced. “I will bring that back to the station and I will keep doing that s---. Have a good day," Vincent continued, recording from what looked to be inside of a FedEx delivery truck.
In addition to his harsh and uncalled-for standpoint, he also used an insulting term to refer to Vice President Harris.
The video received more than 3,000 comments from users, most of which criticized him for mixing his political views with professionalism. "You about to lose your job," one person wrote. "Gotta love that childlike mindset," another chimed in.
Vincent Paterno no longer works at FedEx — but is it because of the TikTok?
On Sept. 24, TooFab reported that Vincent no longer worked at FedEx."We are appalled by the behavior depicted in this video, which does not reflect the views of FedEx," a spokesperson told the outlet. "This individual is no longer providing service on behalf of the company," the statement continued.
On Sept. 26, however, Vincent Paterno took to the platform again. In this video, he spoke out about the news circulating that he had been fired from FedEx because of the video he shared. He explained to users that he had quit.
"I had a couple of text messages that I sent out to my boss in August, that Sept. 3 was going to be my last day," he said, showing a screenshot of an alleged conversation with his boss. In the exchange, Vincent's boss acknowledged Vincent's request to leave on Sept. 3.
Vincent then shared another text conversation from Sept. 13 with his boss; however, he did not elaborate on why he did not leave his position on Sept. 3. In this exchange, he informs his boss that the week of the 13th would be his last week. He also shared some messages he exchanged with a coworker on his last day, which he cited as Sept. 16.
"I didn't know I could get fired, when I didn't work there anymore," Vincent says in the video.
Unfortunately for Vincent, users didn't seem to believe his story. "How long it take you to rehearse it?" one user asked. "Who quits their job via text?" another user inquired. While it's not particularly clear if Vincent quit his job before posting the TikTok or was fired as a result of posting it, FedEx did not seem too happy with Vincent's video. Bottom line: never bring politics into the workplace ... or onto TikTok.