A complaint has been registered with the Twin Cities’ public transit agency. This is the third human rights complaint in less than two years. An employee, a 54-year-old female, made the complaint last month alleging discrimination based on cancer diagnosis and age. The complaint has been filed by a former operations supervisor against her employer, Connect Transit.
A copy of the complaint can be obtained through a request under the Freedom of Information Act. The employee alleges that she has been a victim of wrongful discharge due to age discrimination. In the complaint that has been filed, the employee also alleged that six irrelevant warnings had been issued by her employer. The same day the employee was informed that there were plans for the employee to be demoted. The employee alleged the objective of the demotion was to replace her with a younger worker. The woman also alleges being a victim of harassment based on age.
The former operations supervisor has also accused two unnamed coworkers of a confidentiality breach after discussing the female employee’s chemotherapy and radiation treatments. Neither the chairman nor General Manager of the Transit board has commented on the complaint so far.
In the two previous complaints against the company, two other employees filed a complaint against the then-General Manager for sexual harassment in December 2010. Both employees allege they were then given administrative leave as retaliation for complaining for discrimination against the employees. The two women then withdrew the human rights complaints in August 2011. However, they have now filed a federal lawsuit against the then-General Manager and the former interim general manager. The case is pending in the court.
Working in a hostile work environment can be really difficult for employees. Employees must report any incidence of discrimination or harassment against them to the concerned authorities. The guilty should be punished so that other employees do not face the same situation at work.
Source: PANTAGRAPH.COM, “Transit employee claims she was demoted because of age, cancer,” Rachel Wells, Oct. 16, 2012
