Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

U.S. suing Starbucks for firing dwarf
mynorthwest.com ^ | May 17, 2011 | Jessica Gottesman

Posted on 05/18/2011 10:30:13 AM PDT by matt1234

The federal government is suing Starbucks for firing a dwarf.

According to Reuters, the barista, at a store in El Paso, TX, requested a stool or small stepladder to do her job. Starbucks denied the request and fired her that same day. The company said she could have been a danger to employees and customers.

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said after three days of training, the store should have made a reasonable accommodation for the woman.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Government; US: Washington
KEYWORDS: dwarf; starbucks; wa; washington
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-8081-92 next last
To: GOP_Party_Animal

He didnt’ need to get on a ladder to take out a whole bunch of orcs.


61 posted on 05/18/2011 11:47:17 AM PDT by SengirV
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: GOP_Party_Animal

He didnt’ need to get on a ladder to take out a whole bunch of orcs.


62 posted on 05/18/2011 11:47:26 AM PDT by SengirV
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: Straight Vermonter
Ah! So by extension, the lady in question could be considered one of Holder's 'people'. That explains the Department of inJustice's interest in this case.
63 posted on 05/18/2011 11:47:28 AM PDT by WayneS (Enlightened statesmen will not always be at the helm. -- James Madison)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 59 | View Replies]

To: matt1234

I understand Starbucks position, everything is so high there.


64 posted on 05/18/2011 11:49:44 AM PDT by dblshot (Insanity - electing the same people over and over and expecting different results.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: WayneS

There had to be SOME connection.


65 posted on 05/18/2011 11:50:05 AM PDT by Straight Vermonter (Posting from deep behind the Maple Curtain)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 63 | View Replies]

To: troy McClure
Well, that never stopped Muggsy Bogues....who was a certified sawed-off....


66 posted on 05/18/2011 11:52:17 AM PDT by Emperor Palpatine (One of these days, Alice....one of these days.....POW!! Right in the kisser!!!!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 60 | View Replies]

To: Emperor Palpatine

IIRC, Mugs won the NBA slam-dunk competition, all 5’7’’ of hisself.


67 posted on 05/18/2011 12:06:20 PM PDT by ComputerGuy (HM2/USN M/3/3 Marines RVN 66-67)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 66 | View Replies]

To: momtothree
If Starbucks hired this person then they should have made it possible for the employee to do a job. I don’t think a stool is completely out of the question or an over the top demand.

A couple of the talk shows on KLBJ had this on yesterday. Several callers made a point I didn't think about, but can you imagine the danger a stool or ladder behind the counter would cause during busy periods? She needed a stool to get to hand a cup of coffee to customers and had to use both hands.

Imagine the lawsuit if she had spilled a cup on a customer or if she had fallen off the stool and pulled a full pot of coffee onto herself. I'll stand with Starbucks on this one.

68 posted on 05/18/2011 12:13:24 PM PDT by Arrowhead1952 (zero hates Texas and we hate him back.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: matt1234

She can make a lot more money playing professional basketball than she can going back to Starbucks.


69 posted on 05/18/2011 12:15:40 PM PDT by haroldeveryman
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Arrowhead1952

how about a wheelchair?

at some point the job has requirements.

what next? sue basketball for dwarf quotas?


70 posted on 05/18/2011 12:16:25 PM PDT by longtermmemmory (VOTE! http://www.senate.gov and http://www.house.gov)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 68 | View Replies]

To: WayneS
Seriously, they DID know she was a dwarf when they hired her, right?

I mean, I doubt she suddenly BECOME a dwarf after she’d been working there a few weeks.

No, from the article "said after three days of training, the store should have made a reasonable accommodation for the woman." She was not the only one not retained after the training.

71 posted on 05/18/2011 12:17:25 PM PDT by Arrowhead1952 (zero hates Texas and we hate him back.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 39 | View Replies]

To: matt1234
This guy?


72 posted on 05/18/2011 12:19:10 PM PDT by b4its2late (Ignorance allows liberalism to prosper.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: matt1234

She could go back to work in the diamond mine.


73 posted on 05/18/2011 12:19:29 PM PDT by dead (I've got my eye out for Mullah Omar.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: longtermmemmory
what next? sue basketball for dwarf quotas?

I know it was sarcastic yesterday when a person called into KLBJ and made that very same statement. Was that you?

74 posted on 05/18/2011 12:22:37 PM PDT by Arrowhead1952 (zero hates Texas and we hate him back.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 70 | View Replies]

To: momtothree

“If Starbucks hired this person then they should have made it possible for the employee to do a job. I don’t think a stool is completely out of the question or an over the top demand. Me-thinks Starbucks hired a little person to “appear” like they hire people with a disability and then rethought their decision. That being said, little people didn’t ask to be born that way and have to make a living just like everyone else.”

My thought too...except now their phoney conscience and little disingenuous PC BS “acts” of acceptance spills in their lap like a hot coffee...if they really gave a crap for this person, they would have made it work. Was nothing more than a act.


75 posted on 05/18/2011 12:23:55 PM PDT by WKUHilltopper (Fix bayonets!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: matt1234

They shouldn’t have hired her in the first place. The fact that Starbucks hired her, they were under obligation to accomodate her, in a reasonable fashion, for her condition
One of the ways they could have accomododated her was to give her duties that were within her abilities, even if it meant splitting her between sites.


76 posted on 05/18/2011 12:33:34 PM PDT by Jonty30
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Arrowhead1952

“Imagine the lawsuit if she had spilled a cup on a customer or if she had fallen off the stool and pulled a full pot of coffee onto herself. I’ll stand with Starbucks on this one.”

What job did Starbuck expect her to do? It is obvious to the “reasonable person” that her size determined the specifics of what tasks she was able to accomplish. If they want her to work the coffee machines, hand people the finished products, use the cash register... she must be able to reach those tools.

She will win a large sum of money because management is stupid.


77 posted on 05/18/2011 12:34:05 PM PDT by Mashood
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 68 | View Replies]

To: Mashood
Did you read any of the other replies? Here is what I posted in #71:

from the article "said after three days of training, the store should have made a reasonable accommodation for the woman." {I will highlight this} She was not the only one not retained after the training.

78 posted on 05/18/2011 12:47:37 PM PDT by Arrowhead1952 (zero hates Texas and we hate him back.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 77 | View Replies]

To: momtothree

So you’re OK with the blind airlines pilot? You’ll fly on his plane? The deaf audio engineer? You’ll buy his records? You’ll be fine with the guy who wants to be neurosurgeon who was born with the shakes/tremors? You’ll let him operate on you or your family? How many more should I come up with. The guy born with no arms who wants to be a paperhanger? You’ll hire him to wallpaper your house? Give it a rest!

Application of a little common sense goes a long way. Just because someone has a “disability” or is born with some outside the norm physical disability doesn’t/shouldn’t require all the rest of the world to adapt because of their infirmity. Just ‘cuz a blind guy wants to be a race car driver shouldn’t require NASCAR to totally change their whole program and facilities to accommodate him.

And yeah, I know whereof I speak, having been half deaf from grade school. And I’ve wanted to be an astronaut all my life, so should NASA be forced to accept me and make “accommodations” at 65+, with a bad back, only half hearing, bad eyesight, overweight and a cardiac arrhythmia?? After all, it’s only a matter of degree between me and the dwarf at Starbucks.


79 posted on 05/18/2011 12:51:53 PM PDT by hadit2here ("Most men would rather die than think. Many do." - Bertrand Russell)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: Arrowhead1952

“She was not the only one not retained after the training.”

All the training in the world will not make her taller.


80 posted on 05/18/2011 12:52:40 PM PDT by Mashood
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 78 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-8081-92 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson