U.S. Home Depot sacks cancer-ridden cashier, loses lawsuit

[SLM]

I just love to hear about the times when the little guy actually comes out on top for a change.


U.S. Home Depot sacks cancer-ridden cashier, loses lawsuit
By QMI Agency


A Home Depot in Maryland lost a $100,000 lawsuit after the store fired a longtime cashier while she was on unpaid leave to have a brain tumour removed.
Judy Henderson worked at the Baltimore store for 13 years and consistently scored high on performance evaluations, according to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).
She left work when she got brain cancer, but the company didn't offer her any compensation, the EEOC said. Eventually, her supervisor demanded she update them about her medical status or risk being fired.
Henderson sent them her medical records right away, including the date she'd be medically released and able to come back to work, but was sacked anyway, according to the EEOC's statement.
Home Depot told her there just wasn't enough business to keep her employed, but hired new cashiers soon after firing her. The EEOC accused the company in court of disability discrimination.
The court agreed, ordering Home Depot to fork over $100,000 to Henderson, provide anti-discrimination training and refrain from denying compensation for medical problems in the future.

"Employers must give unpaid leave as a reasonable accommodation unless they can prove it would be a significant cost or disruption to its business," Spencer H. Lewis, Jr., director of the EEOC's Philadelphia District Office, said in the statement. "It can be difficult for a major nationwide retailer the size of Home Depot to show how a few extra weeks of unpaid leave would be an undue hardship."



U.S. Home Depot sacks cancer-ridden cashier, loses lawsuit - World - Canoe.ca

 

[petros]

I just love to hear about the times when the little guy actually comes out on top for a change.

The 99%ers?

 

[JLM]

I just love to hear about the times when the little guy actually comes out on top for a change.


U.S. Home Depot sacks cancer-ridden cashier, loses lawsuit
By QMI Agency


A Home Depot in Maryland lost a $100,000 lawsuit after the store fired a longtime cashier while she was on unpaid leave to have a brain tumour removed.
Judy Henderson worked at the Baltimore store for 13 years and consistently scored high on performance evaluations, according to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).
She left work when she got brain cancer, but the company didn't offer her any compensation, the EEOC said. Eventually, her supervisor demanded she update them about her medical status or risk being fired.
Henderson sent them her medical records right away, including the date she'd be medically released and able to come back to work, but was sacked anyway, according to the EEOC's statement.
Home Depot told her there just wasn't enough business to keep her employed, but hired new cashiers soon after firing her. The EEOC accused the company in court of disability discrimination.
The court agreed, ordering Home Depot to fork over $100,000 to Henderson, provide anti-discrimination training and refrain from denying compensation for medical problems in the future.

"Employers must give unpaid leave as a reasonable accommodation unless they can prove it would be a significant cost or disruption to its business," Spencer H. Lewis, Jr., director of the EEOC's Philadelphia District Office, said in the statement. "It can be difficult for a major nationwide retailer the size of Home Depot to show how a few extra weeks of unpaid leave would be an undue hardship."



U.S. Home Depot sacks cancer-ridden cashier, loses lawsuit - World - Canoe.ca

That kind of reinforces an opinion I've held for awhile about Home Depot.

 

[taxslave]

That kind of reinforces an opinion I've held for awhile about Home Depot.

Or most other big companies that depend on lots of low paid help to make a profit.

 

[SLM]

That kind of reinforces an opinion I've held for awhile about Home Depot.

Regardless of who the employer was, any employee who has been with a company for 13 years must have been at least somewhat valued or they would not have the job. So to fire them while they are on sick leave for cancer is horrible. The time away was not costing them anything (they were not paying her), any replacement hiring they did could have easily been stated as being temporary replacement when they hired them. So why fire her?

I'm not against business of any size, per se, but at some point everyone just has to treat each other like human beings. You know?

 

[JLM]

Or most other big companies that depend on lots of low paid help to make a profit.

I wasn't aware that the help at Home Depot is low paid- at least for long term employees. I don't begrudge any company starting someone off at minimum wage while they prove themselves but once they are deemed capable and efficient they should be treated fairly (a liveable wage).

 

[petros]

Stastically it makes sense to buy extra insurance when you hit prime cancer age. With a 50/50 shot it's money well invested.

 

[Tonington]

Good. Home Despot sucks.

 

[JLM]

Good. Home Despot sucks.

Yeah, they wanted $60 up front to give me an estimate to lay a carpet, have a guy come up first to measure the room and then IF I hired them the $60 would go toward the bill. I told them I'd already done the measuring, all they had to do was bring the carpet up and lay it. Anyway I couldn't get an estimate and they never got to lay the carpet. :lol:

 

[gerryh]

Yeah, they wanted $60 up front to give me an estimate to lay a carpet, have a guy come up first to measure the room and then IF I hired them the $60 would go toward the bill. I told them I'd already done the measuring, all they had to do was bring the carpet up and lay it. Anyway I couldn't get an estimate and they never got to lay the carpet. :lol:

You're still bitching about this? They didn't do a damn thing wrong. They didn't rip you off in any way. You had the choice. You chose not to avail yourself of their services. Why bash them for giving you a choice?

 

[JLM]

You're still bitching about this? They didn't do a damn thing wrong. They didn't rip you off in any way. You had the choice. You chose not to avail yourself of their services. Why bash them for giving you a choice?

You're right but they are still a$$holes. Two other outfits provided me with an estimate within 15 minutes. If you think scooping me for an easy $60 is perfectly OK, then you are a perfect customer for them. Why should someone insist I pay for a "service", I'm perfectly capable of doing myself- measuring two dimensions? :lol:

 

[gerryh]

You're right but they are still a$$holes. Two other outfits provided me with an estimate within 15 minutes. If you think scooping me for an easy $60 is perfectly OK, then you are a perfect customer for them. Why should someone insist I pay for a "service", I'm perfectly capable of doing myself- measuring two dimensions? :lol:

Like I said the last time you whined about this. I wouldn't have gone out to you either. The $60 bucks shows me you are serious and not just a "looky-loo" wasting my time. Unless, of course, you don't feel a tradesman's time is worth anything.

 

[JLM]

Like I said the last time you whined about this. I wouldn't have gone out to you either. The $60 bucks shows me you are serious and not just a "looky-loo" wasting my time. Unless, of course, you don't feel a tradesman's time is worth anything.

A "looky loo" being a guy who accepts the best of three estimates?

 

[gerryh]

A "looky loo" being a guy who accepts the best of three estimates?

a looky loo being someone who is just looking... getting quotes... not gonna buy squat.


Also... what do you mean by "best" of 3 estimates?

Also, I don't give "estimates". Estimates are useless. Personally, I give firm quotes. No plus or minus. Exact price of job. But then, I require that I MUST see the job to be done to give that EXACT price. I also require that you prove to me that you are serious and not just wasting my time.

 

[JLM]

a looky loo being someone who is just looking... getting quotes... not gonna buy squat.


Also... what do you mean by "best" of 3 estimates?

Also, I don't give "estimates". Estimates are useless. Personally, I give firm quotes. No plus or minus. Exact price of job. But then, I require that I MUST see the job to be done to give that EXACT price. I also require that you prove to me that you are serious and not just wasting my time.

You're right, I meant to say firm quote. Smart people can "read" who is serious and who isn't. Anyway his decision cost him a customer, if that is smart.

 

[taxslave]

I wasn't aware that the help at Home Depot is low paid- at least for long term employees. I don't begrudge any company starting someone off at minimum wage while they prove themselves but once they are deemed capable and efficient they should be treated fairly (a liveable wage).

If you consider $11-12 good pay I guess it is OK. They do provide some benefits with that. We start laborers right out of school at $12 for demolition and construction.

 

[JLM]

If you consider $11-12 good pay I guess it is OK. They do provide some benefits with that. We start laborers right out of school at $12 for demolition and construction.

I didn't know that, now I'm informed. I'm not sure though if poor pay is a legitimate reason for poor service, and actually the point Gerry thinks I'm whining about (charging up front for work that may never be performed) makes them look even worse.

 

[SLM]

I didn't know that, now I'm informed. I'm not sure though if poor pay is a legitimate reason for poor service, and actually the point Gerry thinks I'm whining about (charging up front for work that may never be performed) makes them look even worse.

What would the hourly pay of it's employees have to do with service offered by the company? Employees don't set company policies, like charging a fee for a service.

 

[JLM]

What would the hourly pay of it's employees have to do with service offered by the company? Employees don't set company policies, like charging a fee for a service.

Theoretically nothing, BUT if the pay is too lousy the service offered may have to be amended in very short order. :lol:

 

[SLM]

Theoretically nothing, BUT if the pay is too lousy the service offered may have to be amended in very short order. :lol:

I worked in retail for a number of years and the overwhelming majority of people I worked with were very hard workers who took their job very seriously. And the pay was sh1t!