Man gets cancer then gets fired

[proud2BlibKansan]

A double whammy: Getting cancer and losing your job

Smarting off to your boss can get you fired. So will stealing from the company. But contracting cancer?

“Fired for having leukemia!” Brad Woodworth of Olathe typed over last Friday’s posting on the blog that he and his wife, Andreina, write to keep friends and family apprised of his illness.

Last month, in a display of understanding and compassion, Brad’s employer, Garmin Ltd., held a bone marrow registry drive in his honor, which he thought was nice of the company.

What was not so nice is that, a few weeks later, Garmin fired him because he couldn’t pinpoint a date when he would be healthy enough to return to work.

“It’s just a real shock,” Brad told me. “I was constantly ranked at the top of my department. There were no disciplinary issues, never written up. They promoted me twice.”

more ... http//www.kansascity.com/story/1520116.html#

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

1. Two laws are at play here

The Family and Medical Leave Act as well as the Americans with Disability Act. He should get in touch with a good lawyer conversant with all the nuances of both sets of laws.

Links doesn't work by the way.

[proud2BlibKansan]

2. Did you see the picture of his kids?

Too cute.

[KharmaTrain]

4. Sadly, He Probably Doesn't Have The Time...

Yes...if he isn't in touch with a labor attorney, his family surely needs to. Problem is going to court can drag on for months...and surely a hired gun defense attorney will make sure the case lives on longer than this poor soul. One hopes that a local politician or some high profile personality steps up here and shames both the former employer and the insuarnce company and hope this may bring some relief.

Yet another of the too many horror stories that demonstrates how broken the current system is and how reform can't come fast enough.

[proud2BlibKansan]

6. Very true

I cry for where we have arrived as a culture.

[tonysam]

21. Companies abuse FMLA all the time

The FMLA form was supposedly the excuse my asshole school district used to get me out because human resources wanted to get at my retirement. They used a mistake on a form I made that was mailed to me and should not have been as excuse to throw me out.

I am considering hiring an attorney to sue the district' ass.

[napi21]

3. That's very sadm but not an isolated case. A friend and

associate of mine who was a salesman whre I worked was fired right after he returned to work after open heart surgery. No explaination, just fired. Of course this was in the shouth wre they can fire you for any reason!

[barb162]

18. Yeah, this is not an isolated case at all. n/t

[Fire1]

5. EFCA! n/t

[woodsprite]

7. Well, my boss' mentioned in my review about my

lack of ability to focus on projects and seeming preoccupied during the the last quarter of my review - coincidentally, the same timeframe of my cancer diagnosis/treatment. In the actual face-to-face review, I mentioned that I had gone through major surgery, was out 8 wks (but that was the only block of time off), diagnosed with cancer and had to decide on treatment plan, etc, not to mention being sent into instant menopause and trying to deal with all those symptoms. All of which happened during the last quarter of the review period. The doc even called me at work to tell me of the diagnosis and my review had to be done early inorder to work it in around my surgery and testing.

When I mentioned that to my supervisor, she said that "You're here. It's not like you're dying with it or something. I don't know. I've never had to go through anything like that since our family doesn't get sick, but it can't be that bad."

It was everything I could do to keep from wishing it on her. Instead I just said "Well, aren't you lucky? Hopefully you'll never have to go through it." I didn't write a rebuttal because her remarks were verbal and I didn't even feel that I could make a civil remark in the comments field. To this day, I have not forgiven her for that remark.

[TwilightGardener]

8. "Our family doesn't get sick"--what, they're immortal?

Too bad you have to deal with dumbasses like that while going through such a difficult time.

[hunter]

20. They probably kick sick people out of their family.

Cancer, you say? Well too bad, pal, you're not part of this family anymore. See you in hell...

(Boots sickly Uncle Joe out of the moving car into a snow drift.)

[Fire1]

13. THIS is why ALL employees should have a UNION! n/t

[Blue Diadem]

19. I wouldn't forgive her for that remark either. She's a cold heartless person.

I've dealt with someone like that during the time my Mom was sick and her diagnosis and surgeries. She told me she never heard of anyone being in the hospital for so long, was she going to die or was she just going to be in there forever? That was the boss's daughter.

It wasn't long and I quit. Her own father fired her not long after.

[NNN0LHI]

9. This happens when people depend on the "compassion" of their employer rather than a union contract

People never learn.

Don

[Fire1]

14. THANK YOU, Don! Seemingly, they don't learn. n/t

[lillypaddle]

10. I was one of the lucky few

Severely fractured my ankle in January, had to be non-weight bearing for over 3 months. I was wheelchair bound. My boss had software installed on my computer so that I could work from home. My hours were reduced by half, because I couldn't do everything from home, but at least I had some income coming in. AND he continued to pay for my insurance, and also paid to have someone clean my apartment. His wife came by to drop stuff off/pick stuff up twice a week. I can't tell you how appreciative I was. Things were bad enough, but it would have been disastrous had he not been willing to stick by me.

My thoughts go out to Brad and his family.

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

11. The other thing that happens is that the group coverage for the business

goes through the roof with just one catastrophic illness, giving many employers an additional incentive to find a way to get rid of people incurring medical expenses on their group policy.

Our system sucks! It couldn't suck more having health insurance tied to employment.

[Sinti]

12. Horrifying, but nothing new unfortunately

I've seen people get fired for having a miscarriage - they're bound to be distracted for a while, and you've got to keep that machine rolling. It's all about what NNN0LHI said:

This happens when people depend on the "compassion" of their employer rather than a union contract.

Even if the human being who fires you has "compassion" - corporations are not human and will fire them if they don't.

Edited for typo

[Fire1]

16. NOT if that human being is in a UNION. n/t

[ddeclue]

15. Garmin as in the GPS manufacturer?

:nuke:

[proud2BlibKansan]

22. Yes that Garmin

Their headquarters are here.

[Blue State Blues]

17. The cost of covering cancer survivors on the company health plan

provides employers with perverse incentives to get rid of the "costly" employees. It's not always this obvious, but it is hardly an isolated incident.

[Jokinomx]

23. And their are people that still believe we don't need unions. !!

I don't know if he was white collar or blue...but as workers in the U.S.A. we don't have very many rights. If non-union a company can release any worker for no reason. They just have to tell them they aren't needed anymore.

Shame on this company for worrying about the bottom line instead of what is best for a loyal employee.

I wish him well in his battle.

Peace.

[Kievan Rus]

24. Welcome to the zany, crazy, heartless world of "at will" employment

Saint Ronnie and Supply Side Jesus wouldn't have it any other way.

Fired for cancer? This is sad and heartless, but unfortunately legal.