UPS Disability Policy Leads to Lawsuit
August 28, 2009 by Mark Ellis
Filed under Business
Allegedly unfair treatment of an ill employee has led the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, a federal agency, to file a lawsuit in a Chicago court against United Parcel Service. According to the E.E.O.C., UPS violated federal laws by not allowing its workers to take sufficient medical leave and by not making reasonable accommodations for disabled employees.
The E.E.O.C. claims that UPS’s violations constitute breaches of the Americans with Disabilities Act and a variety of civil rights laws. The case was brought on in defense of Trudi Momsen, a former UPS employee that was allegedly fired because of her multiple sclerosis, rather than being given extended leave or having the chance to work another position.
UPS has reacted with surprise to the lawsuit, according to a company spokesperson who stated that UPS’s extended-leave policies are among the most lenient and flexible of any corporation’s in this country. The company also stated that Momsen quit her job after returning from a year of unpaid leave without ever asking for any disability adjustments.
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