I about had a stroke (which is really not funny) when I read comments on the story about Susan Inhe, a former editor of the Asheville Citizen-Times who filed a $15 million wrongful termination suit. Sadly, they seem to have been removed, thus you will have to take my word for it.
In the interest of education, here's a little quiz about why a woman who worked for a company for 27 years only to be fired by a man who'd been there half a minute deserves to be innocent until proven idiotic. In addition to any personal desire to, say, not be a sexist jerk. There is no prize except the knowledge that you don't need two hands to find your ass.
True or false.
1. The day after you get mad (or get fired), you can hire an attorney and file a $15 million suit. Uh, no. False. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, EEOC to its friends, is a federal agency charged with investigating discrimination claims, primarily with an eye toward reducing the burden on the courts and protecting companies from false claims by people confused about their rights in the workplace or in some cases, money-grubbing liars.
Therefore, anyone making a complaint must file paperwork with the agency, which then has 180 days to conduct an inquiry. Six months in which the complainant must wait - without her job or working in the situation that prompted the charge in the first place. Granted, the EEOC could comb through documents, conduct interviews, file paperwork and issue a ruling much more quickly. (see #2)
Or the problem could be resolved via mediation. Even before beginning an investigation, the agency will try to get both parties in a room with an impartial, specially trained referee.
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