You are very focused on the refusal to pay aspect. If you look at things through that prism, then it's hard to see any other aspect. The critical element here, seems to me, is the employer's refusal to accede on moral grounds to the values being imposed by the government as part of the mandate. Otherwise it's just another mandate.
then to the extent the expense was more trivial, the imposition would be smaller, not greater.
If the amount of money is trivial, and if you cab put the prism aside for a moment, you can see that this isn't about paying but about the values of the employer. Making the financial element a trivial amount of money takes the money out of the equation leaving the conflict of values as clearly the salient element.
As for imposition requiring force, it merely requires some authority or power, be it the authority or power to force upon or to deny. If you impose a curfew, a commonly recognized usage of the word, you are not charging into someone's home and beating him up, just denying him egress. Parents impose their values on their children all the time. That's part of their job. Employers impose their values on their employees all the time. The head cheerleader imposes her values on the squad. Force is not required as long as those being imposed upon accede to whatever is required.
is no more imposing that sense on me, then you deciding not to buy me a Ferrari, because of some disagreement we had on SI, would be imposing your views or opinion on me.
That doesn't work. You're wandering. I have no authority over you. Neither do I have any role in providing you with anything other than civility. That example also introduces behavior, your behavior, which is your disagreeing with me. In the matter on the table, the employee hasn't done anything that could be considered questionable behavior, behavior that may trigger the withholding of some prize. He just holds a job.
Your employer in this case is not imposing his sense on you to the extent that he is forcing you to alter your values, merely making you operate under his values, causing you to suffer a lost opportunity as a result of his values. |
