Job applicant claims she was denied job because of disability |
By MARY LEE, The Daily Republic
The suit stated that in Kryger’s initial interview she was not provided an interpreter and exchanged notes to communicate during the interview. The civil suit noted that Kryger was not hired by Dakota Pork following her interview. Mitchell Temporary told her there were no jobs available at the company at that time.
The claim continued that on the date of the initial interview and on the following day, Mitchell Temporary hired six employees to begin work at Dakota Pork. The EEOC stated in its suit that Kryger applied a second time through Mitchell Temporary for work at Dakota Pork in January 2000. The EEOC suit noted that while more employees were hired by Dakota Pork through Mitchell Temporary following Kryger’s second application submission, Kryger was not hired. The lawsuit paperwork said Kryger’s brother was hired through Mitchell Temporary by Dakota Pork one day after the agency told Kryger there were no jobs available at the company. The suit claimed that in the period of time between Kryger’s first attempt for employment through Mitchell Temporary in September 1999, and through March 31, 2000, the employment agency hired 67 employees, none disabled, to work at Dakota Pork. The American Disabilities Act prohibits private employers, state and local governments, employment agencies and labor unions from discriminating against qualified individuals with disabilities in job applications procedures and hiring. The EEOC stated in its complaint that Kryger had noted on both applications she had prior meat processing experience and that she would work any shift, any day on her second application. “If they hired me in the first place to work at Dakota Pork to package bacon and pork on the assembly line, I could do that, I have experience,” Kryger said Wednesday from her Sioux Falls home. “Why don’t they hire me? Because I am deaf. They are very wrong.” Both defendants, Mitchell Temporary and Dakota Pork, had not yet received the paperwork notifying them that the lawsuit had been filed with the federal district court in Sioux Falls. After the summons is served, the companies have 20 days to answer the complaint and jury trial demand. Dakota Pork Industries employs 420 people at its Mitchell meat processing plant. The company’s human resource director, Dan Jarabek, said disabled workers are currently employed at the plant. Mitchell Temporary no longer operates as a business in Mitchell and ceased providing employees to Dakota Pork in March 2000. Mitchell Temporary was a partnership of Lynette Vermeulen and Denise Arend, both of Mitchell. - - Contributed by Cindy Cummings - -
- - from The Daily Republic - - |