Absolutely Appalled

As many of you know, I have a son who has Aspergers Syndrome a form of Autism and throughout his life he has had to overcome so many things and has always done so somehow with a smile on his face.  When no one from his high school thought he would graduate he had an amazing advisor/teacher named Portia Soto that believed in him and he earned his high school diploma.

When no one said he would ever be able to work, he has more often than naught, held down 2 and sometimes 3 jobs at a time and his work ethic is amazing. If a piece of equipment isn't working, he can figure out how much money the company is losing  by the hour and minute it is down.

He is married and has 2 beautiful little babies and he does everything he can for them.  Recently he purchased a mini-van and was ripped off by a company called Cactus Jacks in Phoenix, so he took the van to Avondale Dodge and had over $5000 worth of repairs put into it.  Then last week the computer went out and that is costing him over $600 and yet, he says they need a vehicle he can do nothing else. 

He works (at this point I won't say where) for a very high end restaurant. He is a supervisor (by title only at minimum wage), the company won't hire him full-time or permanently where they can give him benefits, a raise in pay or even a vacation (he has worked there for over 2 years now) because he has been to prison, served his time and been  out for over 5 years now...he is tainted in their eyes...but only to work for them not slave for them like a dog with a temporary agency.

He calls me from work at times saying one of the managers calls him a retard, calls the other workers, low life scum, he will come in and mess up what they just cleaned and walk out saying, clean it up now  and then laugh.  It is so bad that many times they can't keep a worker for more than a day and the company has implemented some type of policy regarding anger management....however, they obviously don't have a diversity/ADA compliant/EEOC/Fair Work practice standards in place.

My sons immediate boss knows he has Aspergers and tells him he is the best worker he has ever had.  Of course he is, he works on his days off because he gets called in when someone quit or doesn't show up, he gets on his hands and knees scrubbing down the areas others are supposed to clean because they won't do it and he can't stand dirty floors and walls.

He called me one day saying his boss agreed to meet with him and others and sit down and figure out what is going on and he promised if he had to fire a bunch of people who don't want jobs, he would and they would set down the policies again and make sure everyone knew them and followed them. 

Bottom line...meeting never happened, boss took off for a wedding and came back and nothing changed.  My son gets told he must stay after to clean up and then gets written up because he has worked over 40 hours. He isn't the only one that gets treated this way.

Last night the manager (who isn't his boss) came into where son and others were working tossed a bunch of dirty stuff onto freshly washed things and shelves and walked out laughing.  Wrong day? Wrong time?

My son went off on him. However he took it into a hall right next to security so they could hear what was being said.  I guess my son told the manager he needed to go back in and clean up his mess or my son would contact the health department and have him reported.  That was all  it took, the manager began calling him names, cussing at him, putting his finger in his face. The manager was told by security to keep it down and stop.  He continued, which spun up my son who began giving it back to him.  The manager said he would have the company manager down there...my son said, I don't care because I will call the cops on you....security broke it up.

Next thing my son knows is people are telling him the manager requested to be escorted to his vehicle as he was in fear of his life, shaking and needed to go home.  The manager is described by my DIL as 6'8" and about 350 pounds of solid rock. My son is 6' and maybe weighs 145, he said he never threatened to hurt the guy, harm him or anything else, it was an argument that got out of hand.

The head of security came in with sons boss and sat down with him and asked what happened and he explained it to them. They said his side makes sense and holds water. The other guy said he just walked in and started talking to my son and he snapped (my son doesn't just snap).  My son also told his boss he knows this guy calls them names, calls my son a retard and repeatedly tells them he has talked to him but it never stops it only gets worse.

My sons boss told him he was going to also be escorted off the property, but that he is his best worker, they have an anger class he can take, everyone will meet on Monday to decide my sons fate (not the managers)  and if they can keep him would he please apologize to the manager.

SAY WHAT?? My son has to apologize? Why? So this mans behavior can continue? So out of earshot of other managers he can call the workers nasty names, throw food and other things at them and laugh because he had to apologize?  No!  I told my son to contact the company he works for immediately and report it. I also told him to contact one of the managers he knows that works in California and talk to him, as well as the department of labor, EEOC and anyone else.

My son needs his job, however everyone needs dignity. They need to feel they matter.  My son has bragged about how much he loved his job until the past few months when the treatment from this manager has escalated. When they run out of supplies after he repeatedly sends in requisitions for more (i.e. try cleaning without products to clean with), when he and others were left in scorching heat to walk over 3 miles to work pulling a cart because the boss refused to come pick it up with the company van.

My DIL says he has become difficult to get up, he doesn't want to go to work and she says he is very depressed.  If you know my son, he lives for working, it keeps him focused, it makes him happy and it is the one reason he won't move up to where we are because he is worried he won't be able to find work.  He works hard, does his best and being treated like this is taking a toll on him physically and mentally and they don't have insurance for mental health, so he sleeps.

I asked him if he had been documenting these things. His answer was,' Mom, how am I supposed to do that? I have a job to do and am busy 8-9 hours non-stop. I once recorded these things and took them to my boss and he threatened to fire me if I didn't delete them from my phone. No mom, I don't carry a pencil and paper with me and if I did thats all I would be doing is writing how badly we are treated.'

Thats my vent for today....I told him to not answer his phone today, don't talk to anyone from the company he works at or for and to just walk away. Somewhere, someplace in this vast United States is a company that will hire a young man who takes pride in his work, enjoys working and isn't perfect...who has had to overcome all his life and still finds time to make others smile.

Then again, maybe and sadly there isn't!