Described as slave

[Yurgee]

What is the name of your state? NY

I worked for a company for almost 3 years before getting fired. My annual reviews were great and I got along with everyone at the company, except my manager apparently. About a year and a half before getting let go, my manager referred to me as a slave in an email message to the HR director. My manager gave her boss and me some crazy reason why she referred to me that way. She said it was because I was a hard worked and doing everything that are entire department was to be doing.

I didn't take it that way and was real close to leaving. I stayed and worked through it. I have never been fired from a job before and the reason that she let me go was unrelated.

I received a new job about one month after being let go, but I continue to think about it and have bad feelings thinking that my current employer may feel the same way. I am in a professional position and do not want to experience it again.

I want to know if I can sue my former employer for my manager describing me as a slave. Is there a statute of limitations?

Thanks

 

[Beth3]

Unless that was intended as a racial slur, no, you have no basis to file suit. Plus, the 300 day statue of limitations is well past AND a single comment does not rise to the level of prohibited discrimination.

Since you haven't mentioned race, I presume the issue here is simply that you were offended. That does not remotely give you any basis to file suit. I suggest you either get over the comment or if you can't, seek some professional career counseling to find out why you might be perceived in that fashion or why you're worried someone would.

 

[Yurgee]

response

I would have been offended if my manager said I had bad breath. I have never had an employer refer to me that way and do not believe that someone should. I have a great track record with all of my past employers, and have never experienced this before. That is why I had/have a hard time with it. I do not believe that I need counseling, but would like to hit them in the pocket. Again, this isn't/shouldn't be a way to refer to an employee.

 

[StacyLB]

Actually, I just read about a case where a single incident did rise to the level of discrimination. Can't remember the name off hand, but it was because the comment came from a member of management rather than fellow employee. If it was racial in nature, you may want to speak to the EEOC.

 

[cbg]

Stacy, I know the case you're referring to and at this time, as a precedent it's limited to the CA courts.

 

[Yurgee]

Beth -

When my manager referred to me as a slave, I took it as a dig and to put me down. I gained a great deal of respect from the senior management and when she said that I believed at the time that she was jealous. It ultimately strained our working relationship.

This is a manufacturing environment and we were not in the production area. After I was dismissed (for bogus reason) I have stayed in contact with some of my former colleagues. Some of the people knew that she referred to me as a slave and one recently mentioned it.

I am pissed off because of the reason that they let me go and I still think about the time that she said this. There were other instances that I didn't like, but they didn't scar me like this comment.

 

[Beth3]

Stacy, the case you're referring to is where an individual was singled out for on-going abusive treatment and derogatory comments from the boss which in and of itself is not actionable. One day the boss finally slipped and made a comment along the lines of "That's just the way you Filippino's are" which made it apparent that all the prior poor treatment was due to the person's national origin/race. So while there was only one racist comment, there was an entire pattern of behavior that preceeded it. That is not the case here.

A single comment does NOT give rise to a cause of action.

Yurgee, we've all had people we work with make comments about us that we don't like. So you're pissed - get over it. If one stupid comment has "scarred" you, then you have extraordinarilly thin skin.

 

[Yurgee]

When is the last time you have been referred to as a slave? My thin is very thick, but that doesn't mean that my employer should be able to call one a slave. Great management skills. They teach this in management 101, so how great can this manager be if they accomplish the easy tasks of management?

 

[enjay]

Yurgee, you need to get over it and move on. You don't have thick skin if one comment, apparently not racially based, has you this worked up.

 

[Beth3]

Yurgee, who said this was a great manager? Or even a good one? All I've said is that her making this comment was not illegal and that you have absolutely no basis to bring suit.

Your choices are to keep obsessing over this ONE comment or move on. That's it.