Do I have a case?

[sgmg3133]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Nevada

I am female and have been employed with my city for almost 20 years. In that time I have seen many city departments come and go and the various hiring practices for their positons, which range from promoting from within, to spur of the moment (council meetings) promotions, to all out recruitment.

As stated I have worked in my department for almost 20 years and have personally seen 4 differant Chief's come and go and the hiring practice for the last 3. One of which was let go in lieu of being terminated due to various criminal acts to include Battery, Sexual harrassement aiming a firearem etc... and more. All department heads are appointed positions by the Mayor.

I have worked my way up in my department to be the 2nd in command and have acted in that capacity for the last 6 years. I have a clean file, (no write ups, complaints etc.,). When my current administrator gave his 6 months notice of retirement to the City he had hopes that they may begin the recruitment process they did nothing due to political reasons and discord among council and current Mayor (election year). His retirment came in November and as second in command I assumed his responsibilitys and mine. In January I was appointed as Interim until the position could be filled and recieved an adjusted wage to compensate. Since I had seen the hiring practices so many times in the past I thought that promoting from within may be a possibility if there were individuals within the deparment who met the requirements, which I did without question.

It was opted (Mayor and council) to begin the recruitment process and advertise for the position i was currently doing, of which I could of course apply for. I did apply for the position and the application closing date came and went (Feb 2013). As of the end of march I had been doing the Interim position for 4 months without so much as a comment as to weather they were not happy with how I was running things. During a council meeting at the end of March during the communications portion of the meeting (all department heads are required to attend) the Mayor announced updates on filling the Chief's position which included conductng interviews on April 8th. This was a humiliating surprise to me due to the fact I had not been notified that I was selected to be interviewed for the position I had applied for and was currently doin. I was left believing that I was not selected to be interviewed and would not be getting the position. I was not notified of my interview date until 2 days later which I feel was an afterthought (no proof of that).

My interview came and went, and since I've dedicated my self to the city and my carreer with the city I will admit my interview skills severely lacked and I personally feel I did not do well in this interview panel. However my resume and educational certificates more than speak for themselves as to my qualifications for the position.

During my interview the mayor advised that from this point she would be narrowing the pool down to the three top candidates and then conduct background investigations on those three with an appointment of the position to follow the first week of May.

yesterday I recieved in the mail a thank you but no thank you letter. Needless to say I was stunned and felt like I had been gut punched. I apparently hadn't even made the the top three list. I can accept that but what I am having difficulty with is that I have been left hanging in limbo for almost 6 months doing the job without any complaints from the mayor or the city manager. I was not even given the courtesy of being spoken to prior to recieved my letter of denial to help me understand why after 20 years with the city, 14 of which I acted in a supervisory capacity, and 6 of those in an administrative capacity. However they had all the conficdence in me to run the establishment for the 6 months it took them to find somebody else to do the job I was currently doing.

I am left feeling that the only reason I was not promoted was due to the fact I am a female did not share the same religious views as the mayor, or just my person in general regardless of the fact I met and exceeded the requirements for the position as outlined by the city.

I apologize for the long windedness but this is just some of the issues I have and am curious weather I may have a case to proceed with or if I am being a sore looser. thank you for any advise you can offer.

 

[HomeGuru]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Nevada

I am female and have been employed with my city for almost 20 years. In that time I have seen many city departments come and go and the various hiring practices for their positons, which range from promoting from within, to spur of the moment (council meetings) promotions, to all out recruitment.

As stated I have worked in my department for almost 20 years and have personally seen 4 differant Chief's come and go and the hiring practice for the last 3. One of which was let go in lieu of being terminated due to various criminal acts to include Battery, Sexual harrassement aiming a firearem etc... and more. All department heads are appointed positions by the Mayor.

I have worked my way up in my department to be the 2nd in command and have acted in that capacity for the last 6 years. I have a clean file, (no write ups, complaints etc.,). When my current administrator gave his 6 months notice of retirement to the City he had hopes that they may begin the recruitment process they did nothing due to political reasons and discord among council and current Mayor (election year). His retirment came in November and as second in command I assumed his responsibilitys and mine. In January I was appointed as Interim until the position could be filled and recieved an adjusted wage to compensate. Since I had seen the hiring practices so many times in the past I thought that promoting from within may be a possibility if there were individuals within the deparment who met the requirements, which I did without question.

It was opted (Mayor and council) to begin the recruitment process and advertise for the position i was currently doing, of which I could of course apply for. I did apply for the position and the application closing date came and went (Feb 2013). As of the end of march I had been doing the Interim position for 4 months without so much as a comment as to weather they were not happy with how I was running things. During a council meeting at the end of March during the communications portion of the meeting (all department heads are required to attend) the Mayor announced updates on filling the Chief's position which included conductng interviews on April 8th. This was a humiliating surprise to me due to the fact I had not been notified that I was selected to be interviewed for the position I had applied for and was currently doin. I was left believing that I was not selected to be interviewed and would not be getting the position. I was not notified of my interview date until 2 days later which I feel was an afterthought (no proof of that).

My interview came and went, and since I've dedicated my self to the city and my carreer with the city I will admit my interview skills severely lacked and I personally feel I did not do well in this interview panel. However my resume and educational certificates more than speak for themselves as to my qualifications for the position.

During my interview the mayor advised that from this point she would be narrowing the pool down to the three top candidates and then conduct background investigations on those three with an appointment of the position to follow the first week of May.

yesterday I recieved in the mail a thank you but no thank you letter. Needless to say I was stunned and felt like I had been gut punched. I apparently hadn't even made the the top three list. I can accept that but what I am having difficulty with is that I have been left hanging in limbo for almost 6 months doing the job without any complaints from the mayor or the city manager. I was not even given the courtesy of being spoken to prior to recieved my letter of denial to help me understand why after 20 years with the city, 14 of which I acted in a supervisory capacity, and 6 of those in an administrative capacity. However they had all the conficdence in me to run the establishment for the 6 months it took them to find somebody else to do the job I was currently doing.

I am left feeling that the only reason I was not promoted was due to the fact I am a female did not share the same religious views as the mayor, or just my person in general regardless of the fact I met and exceeded the requirements for the position as outlined by the city.

I apologize for the long windedness but this is just some of the issues I have and am curious weather I may have a case to proceed with or if I am being a sore looser. thank you for any advise you can offer.

**A: a case for what? Maybe cbg can help here.

 

[cbg]

What EVIDENCE do you have that you were passed over due to your gender and/or religion?

 

[TheGeekess]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Nevada

I am female and have been employed with my city for almost 20 years. In that time I have seen many city departments come and go and the various hiring practices for their positons, which range from promoting from within, to spur of the moment (council meetings) promotions, to all out recruitment.

As stated I have worked in my department for almost 20 years and have personally seen 4 differant Chief's come and go and the hiring practice for the last 3. One of which was let go in lieu of being terminated due to various criminal acts to include Battery, Sexual harrassement aiming a firearem etc... and more. All department heads are appointed positions by the Mayor.

I have worked my way up in my department to be the 2nd in command and have acted in that capacity for the last 6 years. I have a clean file, (no write ups, complaints etc.,). When my current administrator gave his 6 months notice of retirement to the City he had hopes that they may begin the recruitment process they did nothing due to political reasons and discord among council and current Mayor (election year). His retirment came in November and as second in command I assumed his responsibilitys and mine. In January I was appointed as Interim until the position could be filled and recieved an adjusted wage to compensate. Since I had seen the hiring practices so many times in the past I thought that promoting from within may be a possibility if there were individuals within the deparment who met the requirements, which I did without question.

It was opted (Mayor and council) to begin the recruitment process and advertise for the position i was currently doing, of which I could of course apply for. I did apply for the position and the application closing date came and went (Feb 2013). As of the end of march I had been doing the Interim position for 4 months without so much as a comment as to weather they were not happy with how I was running things. During a council meeting at the end of March during the communications portion of the meeting (all department heads are required to attend) the Mayor announced updates on filling the Chief's position which included conductng interviews on April 8th. This was a humiliating surprise to me due to the fact I had not been notified that I was selected to be interviewed for the position I had applied for and was currently doin. I was left believing that I was not selected to be interviewed and would not be getting the position. I was not notified of my interview date until 2 days later which I feel was an afterthought (no proof of that).

My interview came and went, and since I've dedicated my self to the city and my carreer with the city I will admit my interview skills severely lacked and I personally feel I did not do well in this interview panel. However my resume and educational certificates more than speak for themselves as to my qualifications for the position.

During my interview the mayor advised that from this point she would be narrowing the pool down to the three top candidates and then conduct background investigations on those three with an appointment of the position to follow the first week of May.

yesterday I recieved in the mail a thank you but no thank you letter. Needless to say I was stunned and felt like I had been gut punched. I apparently hadn't even made the the top three list. I can accept that but what I am having difficulty with is that I have been left hanging in limbo for almost 6 months doing the job without any complaints from the mayor or the city manager. I was not even given the courtesy of being spoken to prior to recieved my letter of denial to help me understand why after 20 years with the city, 14 of which I acted in a supervisory capacity, and 6 of those in an administrative capacity. However they had all the conficdence in me to run the establishment for the 6 months it took them to find somebody else to do the job I was currently doing.

I am left feeling that the only reason I was not promoted was due to the fact I am a female did not share the same religious views as the mayor, or just my person in general regardless of the fact I met and exceeded the requirements for the position as outlined by the city.

I apologize for the long windedness but this is just some of the issues I have and am curious weather I may have a case to proceed with or if I am being a sore looser. thank you for any advise you can offer.

Welcome to City Politics.

 

[OHRoadwarrior]

What you have, by your own admission, is a case where you did not impress them with an ability and confidence to lead.

 

[sgmg3133]

I suppose I was thinking unfair labor practices since apparantly I was sufficient to do the job for almost 6 months without a complaint on my preformance. They apparently had all the confidence in my ability to do the job as long as it suited their political agenda, and then some? If my ability to do the job was in question, they had ample time to recruit for the position prior to the retirement of my department head. And if I was denied the position/promotion based on my work preformance should that not have been mention or discussed with me at the time the poor preformance was noted, like any responsible employer should? In addition if they had planned on using this 6 months to evaluate me should I not have been advised of this as well.

Perhaps throwing out the Gender/Religion thing may have been a bit premature and I apologize however, in my 20 years with this department I have battled the gender thing more times than I care to count, but pushed through regardless and proved myself beyond my gender. Thank you for listening and the input you provided. I guess it boils down to me being a sore looser.

 

[cbg]

Nothing you have posted suggests an unfair labor practice as defined by law. Sorry.

 

[commentator]

Are any of the other candidates who have being interviewed for the position female? In the past, has there been a clear cut definitive lack of female representation in the people who held high positions in your department? In order to show discrimination based on your gender, there'd have to be a pattern established of their not giving promotions to people of your gender. Likewise, what documentation of any kind can you provide that the mayor is slanting the hiring process due to the candidate being of a similar religious orientation to him? Has he made statements such as, "I'll never hire anyone who's not a strict Hare Krishna for this position, like me!"

In the world of state and local politics, it is usual that the top positions in each department go not to the people who are best qualified to do the work, but to someone politically connected that the current people in power want to bless. They will come in with a whole new agenda of "moving the department forward progressively" and draw the salary, regardless of whether they have a clue what is going on in the actual operation of the department or whether or not they've been running it for the last twenty years. It is clearly understood that these top level people in the department are there to do the absolute bidding of the executives who gave them the job. And many times they're canned by the next administration, regardless of the job they've been doing running the department.

Those of you who have come up through the department, who are actually running things, have the job of taking them in, welcoming them even, and working with the new supervisor. Risk letting your displeasure show to the new manager when they are picked, and you could find yourself very legally demoted, censured, or even terminated. This is "at will" employment. They're not obligated to like you or to treat you fairly just because you've been there forever and consider yourself indespensible to the operation of the department.

You said yourself that they SOMETIMES hired and promoted from within. That's when either the person within has endeared themselves to the power structure, or when they really didn't have anyone they could give the position to politically at the time.

If you were to go to EEOC, it doesn't sound as if there is much they'd find in the way of ILLEGAL discrimination. You were interviewed, and you were not selected, regardless of whether or not you felt you were the best qualified person. And if it gets out to your supervisors that you've tried insuccessfully to raise a stink about it, they'll put you 'way down on the list of their favorite people, and that could have serious repercussions regarding your work life.

 

[sgmg3133]

Are any of the other candidates who have being interviewed for the position female? In the past, has there been a clear cut definitive lack of female representation in the people who held high positions in your department? In order to show discrimination based on your gender, there'd have to be a pattern established of their not giving promotions to people of your gender. Likewise, what documentation of any kind can you provide that the mayor is slanting the hiring process due to the candidate being of a similar religious orientation to him? Has he made statements such as, "I'll never hire anyone who's not a strict Hare Krishna for this position, like me!"

In the world of state and local politics, it is usual that the top positions in each department go not to the people who are best qualified to do the work, but to someone politically connected that the current people in power want to bless. They will come in with a whole new agenda of "moving the department forward progressively" and draw the salary, regardless of whether they have a clue what is going on in the actual operation of the department or whether or not they've been running it for the last twenty years. It is clearly understood that these top level people in the department are there to do the absolute bidding of the executives who gave them the job. And many times they're canned by the next administration, regardless of the job they've been doing running the department.

Those of you who have come up through the department, who are actually running things, have the job of taking them in, welcoming them even, and working with the new supervisor. Risk letting your displeasure show to the new manager when they are picked, and you could find yourself very legally demoted, censured, or even terminated. This is "at will" employment. They're not obligated to like you or to treat you fairly just because you've been there forever and consider yourself indespensible to the operation of the department.

You said yourself that they SOMETIMES hired and promoted from within. That's when either the person within has endeared themselves to the power structure, or when they really didn't have anyone they could give the position to politically at the time.

If you were to go to EEOC, it doesn't sound as if there is much they'd find in the way of ILLEGAL discrimination. You were interviewed, and you were not selected, regardless of whether or not you felt you were the best qualified person. And if it gets out to your supervisors that you've tried insuccessfully to raise a stink about it, they'll put you 'way down on the list of their favorite people, and that could have serious repercussions regarding your work life.

I am the only female who has applied and interviewed, and I am the only female the department has had in a supervisory capacity since it's incooperation. I understand the "at will" aspect however in my position there are some laws in place that protect me and others in my line of work from being diciplined and or terminated without cause. (I have never given cause) I have 6 months until I am able to retire, so my plan is not to make waves I will do as I have always done, my job, with the utmost professionalism. I will make the transition for my subordinates as smooth as I have done the last 3 times the departments administration has changed. I will however, no longer go above and beyond my 8 hours a day. Given the fact I am the Acting Chief and it will be a well known fact i applied for the position and did not get it, I am certainly anticipating some restructuring of my current position regardless of weather or not I make a stink, thats just how things are done. The way I see it it's a lose, lose, situation whether or not I make a stink. Thank you

 

[Willlyjo]

I suppose I was thinking unfair labor practices since apparantly I was sufficient to do the job for almost 6 months without a complaint on my preformance. They apparently had all the confidence in my ability to do the job as long as it suited their political agenda, and then some? If my ability to do the job was in question, they had ample time to recruit for the position prior to the retirement of my department head. And if I was denied the position/promotion based on my work preformance should that not have been mention or discussed with me at the time the poor preformance was noted, like any responsible employer should? In addition if they had planned on using this 6 months to evaluate me should I not have been advised of this as well.

Perhaps throwing out the Gender/Religion thing may have been a bit premature and I apologize however, in my 20 years with this department I have battled the gender thing more times than I care to count, but pushed through regardless and proved myself beyond my gender. Thank you for listening and the input you provided. I guess it boils down to me being a sore looser.

I sympathize with you for getting no respect despite your 20 years of service. I think the mayor and the council were pretty heartless not to at least include you in the final 3 applicants for the job. Maybe you should consider running for mayor in the next election--at least if you succeed in winning, you will have gotten rid of such a disrespectful person.

 

[commentator]

I too am very sympathetic with your situation. Even though you are the lone female, I really think the chances are slim of showing EEOC discrimination in their failure to give you the position. Pretty much what you have gotten from it all is the twenty years of a job and a chance for retirement, hopefully with benefits. So many places right now don't have any sort of pension benefits for employees. It is never a good idea to go over and above your job requirements in the expectation that this will be seen and rewarded when you are in a political/governmental job. It's the old "wetting your pants in a dark suit" situation (it gives you a nice warm feeling, but no one else really notices) Best wishes, and I really hope your situation will work out well for you. Else I highly recommend retirement!

 

[HomeGuru]

I sympathize with you for getting no respect despite your 20 years of service. I think the mayor and the council were pretty heartless not to at least include you in the final 3 applicants for the job. Maybe you should consider running for mayor in the next election--at least if you succeed in winning, you will have gotten rid of such a disrespectful person.

**A: right, run for Mayor.

 

[sgmg3133]

Oh lord no, this end of politics is bad enough.... I almost regret teaching my children to have good work ethics, and pride in the job the do no matter what it is, because it simply doesn't matter. What makes this even worse is over my career with this department I've had some blatent and outright embarrassing sexual harrassment issues from one of my administrators that I did nothing about (I know I have to own that stupidy) because I had the fear of being labled as a trouble maker, and just a female looking for a lawsuit. That I'm afraid would have followed me throughout my career. I valued my career and I have always been and continue to be proud of the work that I do.

I should of quit when my first boss told me the only reason he hired me was because 1) I was female and, 2) I was hearing impaired, he had his EEOC requirements met, hell he got a twofer with me. I knew his statement bothered me but I was young and uninformed good hell I was entering a profession mostly dominated by males. Live and Learn

 

[cbg]

Whoa, what? When did he say that?

 

[sgmg3133]

When I was first hired in 1993, I know I should have known better. Guess one would call that a clue...lol