Age Discrimination

[Bissy]

My age is 60. Approx. two months ago, I was hired by a former boss to work for his new company. Unbeknownst to me, I was another prospect from a long line of people that have walked out after working at this company. Very small company. When I started I was told that there was only 4 of us...the owner, another woman(whose title he naver gave me), and a shipper. I was also told that this woman "acting" as office manager (my words) was my boss's significant other. I had no problem with that. Shortly after I started, maybe two weeks, some talk was mentioned about this woman's daughter telecommunicating from her house. Again I had no problem with this new information given to me. However, shortly after, I learned that the 21 yr old daughter was coming back to work in the office. I was to learn later (from the daughter) that she was brought back into the office because she had gotten caught from her mother entertaining her boyfriend at home, when she was being paid to work there. In the short period that she arrived, the daughter has asked me for money, to do her errands on my lunch hour, put me in small positions that violate my work ethics, and has rumaged thru my purse to get my cigarettes. She owes me several packs. And additionally or attire is embarrassing, with the last outfit being a nude colored tank top, that showed every bit of underneath, and she is a very well endowed girl. She might as well not have had it on. Because I have to work with her, I have no idea where to look when talking to her. On one such errand that her and I had to go on for the boss, she spilled her guts....this was her 4 or 5 time that she had come back into the office, and the reason she had left the last time, was because she had stolen several thousand dollars from the boss's office...where the police were involved. The daughter had actually hired a drug dealer to work there, and he and her had drug deals over the company computer. She was drug addict herself. She had no problem telling me all this but quickly told me not to tell her mother and the boss that she had relayed this info. When speaking to the shipper who had remained quiet up to this point, I questioned her integrity...and he quickly spoke up and informed me of the many people that had left prior to me...the daughter has brought others working there into her mess, and they have fallen for her hardship stories and gave her money. He recommended that I never fall in that trap, or leave my purse vulnerable to her. Since she's been back, they give her most of the work, while I sit around and do nothing. Her mother (the so called office manager) is always on my case, because she feels I am not learning quick enough, and make too many error..yet when her daughter does, she is quick to console her with the "we're not perfect" stance. I cannot learn quick enough because for two months my morning jobs consisted of picking up mail at 10:00, posting and going to the bank at 12:00, picking up their lunch at 12:15, and my lunch hour at 12:30. When I come back most of the work has been dispersed to her. Recently on a Friday, it was very slow. The girlfriend was out of town, and the boss was leaving at 3:00. As soon as he left, the daughter called her mother to ask her if we could leave early. I replied by saying that I didn't want to leave and loose an hours pay, which she relayed to her mother (girlfriend, office manager, whatever you want to call her). She then okayed us to leave because we would get paid till 5:00. On Monday, I was asked whether or not I had faxed some documents to another facility, when she knew her daughter did that, and got mad that I didn't stay to hear what she then had to say. I left her with her daughter because I didn't feel that I should have been there to see her daughter being corrected. It was not my place. She then demanded a meeting, and aimed all her criticism at me, to which I sat and took it. But when I asked a legitimate question, she got angry and told me to ask the Boss. I thought she wanted me to ask him, because she was upset that he had not given her that answer as well, and wanted me to pose that question for her. I asked "now"??, and angrily, she said "yes". So I did. At first the boss was willing to engage in the conversation, until she alone came into the office, and demanded that she sit in on it. I was stunned because I had no idea where this was going. The next hour or so, she attacked me professionally, called me a liar, and told me that I was the rudest employee she had ever seen. My boss also accused me of not being trusted since every time he leaves the office early, we leave. If I am not to be trusted, then why would he trust me with thousands and thousands of checks, cash for lunch, etc. I have actually been the only honest person there. While learning the job, I was trained to do a certain procedure on the computer, by the daughter, and the mother was well aware that I was shown this. They later learned that the procedure was actually messing up their inventory and she asked if I had used that procedure before. I replied that I was trained by someone to use it, and that others in the office knew it. I had not mentioned names because I hate pointing fingers, she said you said kind of thing, but she should have known who would've trained me since there are 4 of us there. She denied it all. Additionally, I would've never known how to use it, if I had not been instructed. During the meeting, whenever I tried to explain my position for what I was accused of, she told me I was defensive and beligerant. Yet, she was calling me a liar. After an hour or so, I could no longer emotionally handle it, and got up from the meeting, told them I had to leave, and quietly left. There is no doubt in my mind that they no longer wanted me there, since the daughter was back working full time. Do I have a case?

 

[army judge]

Do you have a case for what what, about what, and why?

Age discrimination, HUH?

If a complaint against a private employer involves race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, disability or genetic information, the business is covered by the laws enforced if it has 15 or more employees who worked for the employer for at least twenty calendar weeks (in this year or last).

Even Massachusetts law isn't all that helful in YOUR situation:

Massachusetts employers with six or more employees are prohibited from discriminating against employees based on race, color, religious creed, national origin, ancestry, sex, gender identity, age, criminal record (inquiries only), handicap (disability), mental illness, retaliation, sexual harassment, sexual orientation, active military personnel, and genetics.

If you believe you have been the victim of age discrimination, you have the right to file a complaint within 300 days of the alleged discriminatory act.







Here, you can inform yourself about age discrimination GENERALLY:

http://www.mass.gov/mcad/agefactsht.html

http://www.eeoc.gov/employers/coverage_private.cfm


http://www.eeoc.gov/laws/types/age.cfm

http://www.eeoc.gov/facts/age.html




I suggest you do whatever you think is best for you.

What is that?

Only you know.

I see no legal problems at the moment, madam, but I do see a storm brewing.

Frankly, I don't mind getting wet in the shower or in a nice fresh rain storm.

I don't like getting caught in a FECES storm.

You need to know that an employer can terminate you without a reason, any day of the week.

A job is NOT a right, YET, in this country.

If I were you, I'd start looking for my next placement NOW.

It appears your continued employment with this outfit of yahoos is at great risk.

Your finances are, too.

Drug addicts will do anything to get a fix, even frame dupes and the unsuspecting.

I'd have been gone yesterday!

One last thought: Even if you had what you consider PROOF of age discrimination, don't expect the other side to tell the TRUTH.

Contrary to popular MYTH, more lies are told in a court room by people under oath, than in bar room full of drunks.​

 

[Bissy]

Thanks for replying. Apparently employees don't have a chance. If this is not age discrimination or a hostile environment, then we are left for dead. I stuck it out because I have a disabled son, and walking out leaves me no chance with unemployment. In this economy and at the age of 60, jobs don't come my way easy anymore. But thanks...be sure to wave at me while we are standing on the street corner. HA!

 

[cbg]

Even if the company were larger, I'm not seeing where the adverse treatment is BECAUSE OF your age, which means it wouldn't be age discrimination anyway.

And a hostile work environment does not mean what you think it means.

 

[army judge]

Thanks for replying. Apparently employees don't have a chance. If this is not age discrimination or a hostile environment, then we are left for dead. I stuck it out because I have a disabled son, and walking out leaves me no chance with unemployment. In this economy and at the age of 60, jobs don't come my way easy anymore. But thanks...be sure to wave at me while we are standing on the street corner. HA!

Madam, I've known this for many, many years.
I'm older than you, and this comes as no surprise to me.
I am very friendly, and waving is what we do in my neck of the woods.
We wave at passing cars in my little town, or out in the Hill Country on a dusty back road at my little homestead.
I am also retired military.
What is happening today in this country makes me sad.
Nothing any of us can do, but get out, or bend over and keep taking whatever they decide to dispense.
I wish you well.

 

[Bissy]

Thanks...again as I said, we are left for dead, if not with the homeless. Yet I am trying very hard to have faith in humanity.

 

[Bissy]

Madam, I've known this for many, many years.
I'm older than you, and this comes as no surprise to me.
I am very friendly, and waving is what we do in my neck of the woods.
We wave at passing cars in my little town, or out in the Hill Country on a dusty back road at my little homestead.
I am also retired military.
What is happening today in this country makes me sad.
Nothing any of us can do, but get out, or bend over and keep taking whatever they decide to dispense.
I wish you well.

You are a very kind man...Thank you...a little ray of sunshine.

 

[army judge]

You are a very kind man...Thank you...a little ray of sunshine.

This country, as is this our planet, is replete with millions of good people.
I've met many in my lifetime.
They try to help those in need.
The problem is that evil governments have reduced us to dependence.
In some cases, we allowed it to happen, in fact; we were complicit.
In other cases, brutish, thuggish criminals seized power.
In other cases, slick, charismatic shysters used fake smiles, lies, and jokes to dupe the unsuspecting into voting them into power.
Either way, we're all enslaved, and don't suspect a thing.

I'm happy I'm old.
I'm simply waiting for my Father to call me home.
That will be the most glorious day of my life.
One thing's for sure, when I'm being immolated in that oven, they won't ever be able pick my bones clean.
There will be no bones, just ashes.

 

[Bissy]

[/QUOTE] I'm happy I'm old.
I'm simply waiting for my Father to call me home.
That will be the most glorious day of my life.
One thing's for sure, when I'm being immolated in that oven, they won't ever be able pick my bones clean.
There will be no bones, just ashes.[/QUOTE]

I am with you on this as well...it can't come fast enough. If I only I had the guts now.....

 

[Betty3]

I don't see age discrimination or a hostile work environment either.

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-hostile-work-environment.htm

Sorry.

 

[army judge]

I am with you on this as well...it can't come fast enough. If I only I had the guts now.....[/QUOTE]


No, don't do that.
That's HIS job, all we do is wait!