College Official: Construction Site Must Replace 'Sexist' Men Working Sign

The “Men Working” sign is a standard fixture at construction sites, warning passersby that they should be on guard due to potentially dangerous work. That doesn’t seem controversial, but an Ohio college official has declared it anti-women.

At Ohio’s Sinclair Community College, Elizabeth Verzi, the school’s Manager of Construction and Planning, ordered the crew to remove a Men Working sign that she called “sexist.”

The incident occurred the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, as an all-male construction crew from the company JCrane was working in an area of Sinclair Community College in Dayton, Ohio. The crew was told to immediately cease all work until the “sexist sign” was removed. Crew foreman Matt Peters initially thought the request was a joke, and the work continued. Sinclair employee Jim Fauzy appeared on site to say that the men needed to stop immediately until the Men Working sign was gone.

Breitbart News spoke to foreman Matt Peters, who confirmed that Liz Verzi told him in a meeting that the sign was sexist and should be replaced with a “Crew Working” sign. Peters quoted Ms. Verzi as saying, “That sign is sexist and it’s not up for discussion.”

The incident caused serious fallout. Jcrane, Inc. owner Jack Stull said in a letter that he would continue the work but would not replace the sign. “I’m through with appeasing, I’m tired of political correctness, and I’m no longer fearful of their media or their lawsuits,” he insisted. “I will stand for truth.”

Mr. Peters says he’s worked on a crew with women and none of them have even complained about the sign; this was the first time he’d ever heard anyone complain about it.

Breitbart News spoke with a company that sells signs for construction site safety and asked if complaints about Men Working signs were common. The salesman laughed out loud and said it was the first time he’d ever heard of such a controversy. He said the Men Working sign is the industry standard and that they sell no sign that says Crew Working, although a custom one could be ordered. 

A call by Breitbart News to Ms. Verzi for comment was responded to by Adam Murka, Sinclair’s Director of Public Information. He said in written statement, “While it may not have been necessary to stop work, Sinclair stands by its commitment to providing an environment that inclusive and non-discriminatory.”