How can I get justice on being fired unfairly?

Question

I was recently let go as a Temp with a company where I was 1 month away from being permanent. I wrote a letter to the temp agencies HR and the company I temped at HR about Race and s*x Discrimination. I was told the letter was closed they found no grounds for any discrimination. I saved all documentation. However in Illinois Human Rights and EEOC cant really help with charges because I was a temp. I dont feel I was treated fairly and another charge would be this company letting me go which is retaliation, but they tried to say it was performance issues. What can I do to get this taken care of properly. Iam out of a job now and I am sure all who were involved are happy and gloating. The temp agency is ignoring me so far with no new assignment. There was also some harrassment involved thru emails at this job. What can I do?

Answer 1

Depending on state laws, you may have grounds for a civil suit, but please keep in mind that even though it shouldn't be this way, by doing so it may cite you as a problem child. As you said, you were a temp and though that doesn't reduce your rights as a human being, it does reduce your employee rights.

How did you word your letter?  Was it calm and collected? Did you present the evidence? Did you save the emails?

If you did all of the above, you did all that you could. I would learn from it and move on from it and your temp agency.

Edit: there are so many factors that can affect the answer.

1) the person may have been disciplined and you may not be aware of it.

2) if yours happened in front of customers and hers didn't

3) if she is permanent and you aren't. Sounds stupid, but removing someone who is a permanent is a lot more difficult than letting a temp go.

I don't expect to have you answer the above. Just things to think about. It sounds like you are still carrying a lot of anger around.

Answer 2

business-

http://hyparoffice.com/

Answer 3

You don't say how you were discriminated against apart from the fact you were let go.  That's not discrimination.  Retaliation?  For what?  Letting you go?  That's not retaliation.  Companies can let temps go at any time for any reason or for no reason.

Sounds like you have no case against anyone for anything.

Answer 4

The probable reason that the IDHR and the EEOC would not take your case is NOT because you were a temp but because you were an employee of the temp agency and therefore can ONLY sue your employer (the temp agency) in a discrimination complaint.  The company that you worked for legally was NOT your employer, they contracted with the temp agency for a body to work.  So, you have no legal standing to file a discrimination complaint with the IDHR or EEOC against the company.  AND the temp agency did no wrong in the alleged discrimination incident, had no control of the manager -- so you have no grounds to sue your employer.

It is very common for a company to use a temp/temp agency with the "implied promise" that in just another month that person will be made a permanent full-time employee.  Then, by some coincidence, that person is terminated before the month is up.  Is is unfair - sure!   Is that illegal - NO, not under Illinois or Federal laws.  That is the chance a person takes when they work as a temp.

What you missed when you were working as a temp, was that you did not have the right (legal right) to complain to the company's HR dept because you were NOT their employee.  Yes, I know the company made you feel like you were one of them, even told you how they would put you on full time, BUT the truth is that you were not their employee.  What your complaining about the company did was label you as a complainer or malcontent or problem temp AND not only may have kept you from being hired as an employee but made the temp agency (your employer) look bad.  Any complaints you had should have been taken up with the temp agency only.

The temp agency is probably very concerned that you caused a problem with one of their clients.  If you want to continue working for them you will need to figure out a way to get back in their good graces.  A start would be to apologize for the incident with the company.

Answer 5

file a wrongful termination claim in civil court. You do not need an attorney.

Answer 6

The only thing you can do is let it go and find a new job life is not fair and neither are people.  You have already done all you can do about the issue and nothing was done about it.  So my advice to you is to move on with your life.  Why would you want to work under conditions like that anyway.  Go to college and get a real job where you can work by your self or with a small team of people.  It sounds like you were working in a factory enviornment and let me tell you they are all the same.

Answer 7

being a "TEMP" has no basis on whether or not the EEOC will investigate.

their decisions are based on whether the law was violated..........

not on how many hours you worked or if you were temporary or permanent.

if you can provide proof of discrimination (or retaliation for filing a complaint) then present those FACTS,  otherwise move on.

if they fired you for performance issues you need to learn from those issues and improve your performance.

Answer 8

I would say hire an attorney or at least consult one. If you have documentation of what happened, they will most likely tell you that you have a case.