New Smoking Ban Costing Jobs

Tennessee's new smoking ban is doing more than just keeping people from lighting up.

It's leaving some without jobs.

Meet 18-year-old Jamie Perdue and 19-year-old Nicole Saputa.

Both are old enough to serve alcohol, and both can legally buy cigarettes.

But now, under Tennessee's new smoking ban, neither are old enough to be employed by a bar that allows smoking inside.

"I just want to know if lawmakers intended to fire this many people? There's a lot of people out of a job," Jamie said.

Jamie and Nicole -- and five of their co-workers -- lost their jobs this week at the Electric Cowboy nightclub in Chattanooga.

By law, no business that allows smoking can permit anyone inside who's under 21.

According to the state health department, that 21-under rule includes employees, too, like Jamie and Nicole.

"I can't find another job where I can work so few days and make so much money," Nicole said. "It's going to be tough."

Added Jamie, "I believe the smoking ban is a great idea. I'm not trying to change that at all. But I don't think employees should suffer from this. I think we should be excluded."

Vance W. Cheek, Jr., attorney for the Electric Cowboy, agrees, saying "if the statehouse could have foreseen that hard-working Tennesseans might lose their jobs, this ban never would have passed."

So the nightclub's lawyer is pushing to get this portion of the law changed.

So is Jamie Perdue.

She says if people like her want to work where there's smoke, just have them sign a waiver.

"If you're under 21," Jamie said, "you know what you're getting into, you know there's smoke, you're willing to take that health risk to work here, and I think it should be allowed."