Your Thoughts Please

This is a letter I wrote in response to a phone call I made yesterday. Was I right to be offended?
To: Terry Murphy

From: Sharon Underwood

Dear Mr. Murphy:

I am writing to inform you of the response I received yesterday when I called to inquire about the services DARS offers.

Considering I have checked into the services before, I did know something about what is offered but needed more details.

I was shocked and appalled about what I was told by Mr. Randy Oshman at the HOUSTON

SOUTH FIELD OFFICE. He informed me that DARS likes to work with a person that may be 25 years old as opposed to someone that may be 60 years old, because the 25 year old would have more time to pay the system back.

Is this a practice of DARS or the practice of Mr. Oshman's? If for any other reason DARS would not be able to work with me, then let me know.

I had carefully considered a career that I may be able to do and was excited about the prospect of learning something new only to be left in shock with my mouth wide open.

Thank you for helping me look into this situation,

Sharon Underwood

Omigosh. That is just age discrimination. Normally they want mature individuals that have great work ethics.

That's what I thought but because I am a sensitive person and sometimes misread what a person is saying, I always like to run it by someone else.

Thanks,
I sent letters to each member of the board of directors.

WOW!!! I am speechless :pale:

I wouldn't have been so nice!!!

AND I would be making a few phone calls to Mr. Oshman's supervisors!!!

Good luck w/this and let us know how it turns out!!

Mafia Princess wrote:

Omigosh. That is just age discrimination. Normally they want mature individuals that have great work ethics.

I think Mr. Oshman needs some training in how "protected class" is defined under federal law.

Ouch.

I'd like to think the OP misunderstood what she was told--but I doubt she did.

Age discrimination is going to become THE hot employment topic of the next decade.

Contacting his supervisors is not good enough for me, I want the top brass to know what is going on. Supervisors do not always take proper action.

I wrote members of the board of directors.

RedHatter wrote:

Contacting his supervisors is not good enough for me, I want the top brass to know what is going on. Supervisors do not always take proper action.

I wrote members of the board of directors.

You might also consider sending a CC to the EEOC and the Department of Labor.

And maybe a CC to the editors of the local papers in Houston.

I think I will do that

RedHatter wrote:

I think I will do that

I hope Mr. Oshman is enjoying his weekend--because I have a feeling his Monday is going to be loooooong and miserable.

PS--The irony of a disability advocate overtly discriminating against a member of another protected class is especially delicious. :affraid:

I just wrote EEOC and the Dept of Labor. I am tired of being discriminated against.

RedHatter wrote:

I just wrote EEOC and the Dept of Labor. I am tired of being discriminated against.

Well I'd caution that any action taken because of your complaint would be slim *at best*.

Understand it is your word against Mr. Oshman's--and unless you have irrefutable proof that the statement was uttered it becomes he said/she said, a very difficult burden to overcome.

Really, the idea is to rattle DARS' cage with the threat of action and the very real possibility of adverse publicity--which truthfully is your best shot of getting the agency's complete attention.

Any reporter worth her chops would salivate over the potential for a story on the issue of a TX rehab agency entrusted with upholding equal protection statutes discriminating against a person over 40.

Man I would be soooooo all over that story!!

I do not want to take legal action, just to let people know how they are operating.

The letters should do it, because if they are telling me this, then I am probably not the first person and definitely not the last unless, a stop is put to this practice.

That is just crazy. I can't believe some of the discrimination I have seen in the work place. From "baby-making age" to "illness age"... sheesh. What age is perfect to an employer??? Shouldn't we just be judged by our determination, work ethics, and commitment? No, we have to worry about how we look, what illnesses we have, and now how old we are...

I am sorry you had to go through this...

I am at the point that these people need to be fired, there is no need for people not to know the laws.

I just realized, I did not write ADA, they need to know this stuff too.