DrugBuyers.Com: Friend in depression treatment suddenly fired.

A friend of mine has had a horrible 2004. First she had her only parent die after 3 years of watching her waste away in a nursing home then a hospice. My friend begins treatment for clinical depression. Her boss starts getting on her about late deadlines since her department was cut from 4 people under her to 2 people the prior year due to a massive layoff . She routinely worked from 8-9 AM to midnight or longer at least 2 days a week to try to stay caught up plus her regular 8 hour workdays. Some weeks she would work night and day with no time except to grab a sandwich from a vending machine. She has even worked holidays this year to stay caught up due to personnell shortage. There had been talk of getting her another person in her department a few months ago but suddenly her boss siad 'it's not going to happen'.

She is not successful despite her best efforts and finally tells this SOB of a boss that she is under treatment for depression. She also goes to the company's on employee assistance program that basically just gives lip service to an employees's mental health (4 sessions and you are thrown out as a rule-it is not a long term program)

The company is re-organized a few weeks ago and some of her management duties are given to others after her boss first humiliates her by taking away most of her management responsibilities before the re-organization.

Meanwhile she is gaining weight because of the depression meds (I gained about 60 pounds once taking those things before I stopped) and her depression has caused her to become obese. This creates another vicious circle of her having no energy and the depression has made her a chronic procrastinator both in our relationship and at work.

Basically she is overwhelmed, not well liked in the company because she has become an emotional basket case and all her friends were laid off when they had a massive reduction in force the prior year .

She was told by her boss that he was going to let her take courses that the company offers to improve her deteriorating skills. One woman who is her enemy is getting the chance to improve her deficiencies. But last Thursday, she was unceremoniously fired. She did get a small severance package and a form that she has to sign . I suspect that she won't get this package until she signs away her right to sue. I am begging her to let an attorney look at that form and I want to look at it also since I dealt with a lot of legal issues when I worked. But I am no labor law specialist.

I am handicapped and worked for a while under the Americans with Disabilities Act. I know that Bush Junior took a lot of the teeth out of what his own father considered his Best if kept off the board jewel during the tenure as president. I worked under the old ADA with some teeth.

I have pleaded with her to talk to the law firm that handled my social security case and they handle a multitude of areas.

She has no savings except for 2 retirement plans that will be heavily taxed if she withdraws money from them. She is massively in debt due in part to the depression (I too have money control issues which is a sign of bi-polar disorder) She was saying that a few weeks ago that it had ben one year in her first home at the age of 47. She always rented and grew up extremely poor.

Despite a lot of obstacles, she over-came her background, went to college and has been earning about $100,000 a year as purchasing manager. There is a lot that I probably should put into this post but I have tried to make it as quick and simple as I can.

She will lose her house and have to file for bankruptcy in all probability.

All because the SOB just took a dislike to her (he did not hire her but he is a golden boy (God I HATE those kind of people) by upper management. The company is run by a bunch of idiots.

I had to vent a bit because I am so ANGRY about what happened and I am so FRUSTRATED that she won't see an attorney. This is Texas and a right to work state but even in these slave states, workers have some rights, don't they.

I know that Trampy is extremely well versed in law and there are others that seem to know a lot about the law or maybe have had similar experiences.

I am close to this person and I will see her Saturday. I will check back and hopefully find some useful information that might help her.

BTW The company did not make ANY accommodation for her depression. That was a big NO-NO under the old ADA. But I don't know a lot about Junior's watered down version.

I would like to have about half an hour with her former boss and maybe his boss in private. They need to experience some Texas justice

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Edited by kimbell1 (09/25/04 12:50 AM)