Vermont UPS Franchise Owner Picks The Wrong Anti-Mask Hill To Die On

Owners of this UPS store in Newport, Vermont lost the 
business after refusing to comply with mask wearing
mandates. Photo via WCAX.

Everywhere, including here in Vermont, a few people are incredibly willing to die on the anti-mask hill, with terrible person consequences. 

A few end up dying.  Most make fools of themselves. Some ruin themselves financially for no good reason. 

It's so illogical.

The latest one involves the operators of a UPS franchise in Newport, Vermont.  

Weeks ago, they put up a sign in the front door saying they would not wear a mask, customers could choose whether or not to wear a mask, and to please not ask employees to wear masks because they won't. 

This goes directly against an executive order Vermont Governor Phil Scott issued last year mandating masks in stores. It also goes directly against UPS policy, which says that face masks are a required part of their uniform and everyone must wear them on the job. 

The franchisees, Laurie and Mike Desautels adamantly refused to comply. The result now is their UPS store is permanently closed and they're out of jobs. 

It's not like the local and state government and UPS came out of nowhere, swooped in and shut them down. They all tried to work with the Desautels.  This started to blow up last fall. 

"He has flat out told us that he's not going to comply, the government is not going to make him wear a mask and he'll lock his doors before he does anything," Newport Police Chief Travis Bingham told television station WPTZ.

To their credit, Vermont State government didn't immediately move to shut down the store.  Local police had gotten some calls about the sign on the door, and it blew up on social media. 

The Vermont Attorney General's office sent a letter to Desautels back on November 10 advising them to follow the mask mandate, according to VT Digger. 

Things started to move fast this past week. The Vermont Attorney General's office sent out another letter on Wednesday saying failure to comply could lead to enforcement action in court. That letter, it seems, was a final warning.   

The sign that was on the door of the now closed UPS 
store in Newport, Vermont. 

Pressure came down on the Desautels from another source: UPS itself. This past week, UPS said it would reach out to the owner for "immediate correction" of the issue. Apparently, that didn't go well, as UPS announced Thursday it was severing ties with the Newport franchise location. 

The Desautels' store is shut down permanently, unless somebody else willing to enforce the mask rules picks up the franchise.

It kept coming, reports VT Digger. Despite the store's shutdown, Vermont Attorney General T.J. Donovan filed a civil suit asking that Desautels face civil penalties for defying the face mask.

The Desaultels are not speaking to the media to give their side of the story.

Meanwhile, the free market moves on.  Pick and Shovel, a local store in Newport, has begun advertising its UPS services, says VT Digger.  

So, to sum up: The Desaultels lost their business and their income. They have to pay a lawyer to defend themselves in court. They might face fines. Though a minority of people surely take their side, most of us are rolling are eyes at them. 

And for what? Not dealing with the inconvenience of wearing a mask at work.  A move that every serious scientist and doctors says can limit the spread of Covid. 

I don't like wearing a mask, either. But, wearing one is an act of both patriotism and kindness. If wearing a mask prevents one death, or one illness, isn't that worth it? Worth if for whatever individual doesn't get sick. And worth it for society, which doesn't have to pay the cost and anguish of ever more deaths. 

Wearing a mask is certainly worth it if it means you keep your business and your income, and not having to pay attorneys fees.

Anti-maskers do their antics because "freedom."  I don't know about them, but personally, I like the freedom of having my health, my income and other peoples' respect.