Company refuses time off for woman who wants to donate kidney

[kurth]

Company refuses time off for woman who wants to donate kidney
Last Updated: 6/11/2007 9:28:43 AM

A worker at an apparel company wants to donate one of her kidneys to a relative, but the factory refuses to give her time off, even without pay.

Pam Melson, a worker at Tennessee Apparel in Tullahoma, has had to postpone the scheduled transplant this month. Melson wants to help 36-year-old Donnie Hammack, who is married to Melson's distant cousin.

The company's vice president of manufacturing said they aren't trying to discourage Melson from donating an organ. But the company won't hold her job for her if she leaves.

As her family's sole financial provider, Melson said she can't afford to risk her job.

http://www.wbir.com/news/health/story.aspx?storyid=46135

[The Straight Story]

1. Time for some calls and emails :)

Looking for info now, will post if I get it.

[The Straight Story]

2. Base info:

401 NW Atlantic St
Tullahoma, TN , 37388-3503
Phone: [phone]
FAX: [phone]
Certification: ISO 9001:2000
Business Activity: Manufacturer

[The Straight Story]

3. A little more:

Helms, Ted (TN Apparel/President), (Zip code: 37388) $500 to BOWLING FOR CONGRESS on 06/26/04

[Q3JR4]

5. Is this what you're looking for?

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&btnG=Google+Search&um=1&q=tennessee+apparel&near=Tullahoma,+TN&fb=1&latlng=35361914,-86209454,11921644342322417080

[Hekate]

4. Can't you just smell the compassion? Good lord what a heartless jerk. nt

[kimmylavin]

7. Well, there are a lot of them out there.

When my grandfather died, my grandmother was docked pay for the three days she took off for his funeral... nice, right?

[MadMaddie]

6. And this my DU friends is * American work place that he dreams

of...

Where workers have no rights, no insurance and when their uselfullness has expired the employer can kick them to the curb and hire someone for less money....kinda going back to the early 1900s in America.....

How can we shame this company owner? How can we make sure the world knows what this Republican represents?

[NaturalHigh]

8. Wow, I don't know where to start.

She's not even asking to be paid for the time she's off, and he won't hold her job? I think there must be some sort of recourse under the Family Medical Leave Act.

[Spinzonner]

9. Well, you need to look at this from the company's point of view

If they let her do this, then pretty soon all the other employees will be wanting to donate parts of their body to get some time off. It could get out of control.

:sarcasm:

[SeattleGirl]

10. Bastards.

Wouldn't it be divine justice if the VP needed a kidney? Not that I would really wish that on someone, but when something happens to you personally, it often causes a change of outlook.

[Double T]

11. I'm getting really sick of these corporate fuckers!!@!!#!!*#@!!#

[DeSwiss]

12. Here's a more detailed article from the Tennessean:

Boss denies time off to donate kidney

The Tennessean
By CLAUDIA PINTO, Staff Writer
Sunday, 06/10/07

Pam Melson wants to donate one of her two healthy kidneys to a dying friend. But officials at the Waynesboro, Tenn., factory where she works refuse to give her time off, even without pay — a decision that a business ethicist and organ donation experts find troubling.

"They said letting me off to get this surgery would be like someone getting let off for getting breast implants," said Melson, who has worked at the factory for four years. "I think what I'm trying to do is a little more important than getting breast implants."

Dave Roberts, Tennessee Apparel's vice president of manufacturing, said he's not trying to discourage Melson from going through with the donation. But, he said, the Tullahoma-based company won't hold her job for her. "If she decides to do that we'll give her every consideration to come back to work," he said. "She would come back as a new employee."

Melson, 31, is her family's sole financial provider since the store where her husband worked went out of business, and she said she can't afford to lose her job. So, the transplant operation originally scheduled to take place this month at Vanderbilt University Medical Center has been postponed until officials at Tennessee Apparel relent or another donor is found.

Absenteeism is an issue
Tennessee Apparel's Roberts said the primary reason Melson's request was denied is her "excessive absenteeism." He declined to say how many days she's missed. Melson, who works on military pants manufactured at the factory, said she gets one week of vacation each year. She said she's missed more than a month of work this year, primarily to care for her children when they were sick. "I have three children. When they are sick it's my job to take care of them," she said. "I told (the company)don't ask me to pick my job over my kids because I will not do it."

http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070610/NEWS07/706100378/1291/MTCN01

*** - Having lived here in TN for over 40 years, I've seen a number of clothing and auto parts factories that use to proliferate in small towns back in the 60s and 70s, close up and then they moved to Mexico or Taiwan. Whole towns seemed to just dry up and blow away after that. It doesn't help that TN is what is called "a right to work" state. Which is a euphemism for: "we hate unions."

Given that she's trying to donate this kidney to someone not in her immediate family, FLMA wouldn't apply in this case. The bottom line is, this is East Tennessee. Redrock Conservative Republican territory. And like most other Republicans elsewhere, they don't give a shit about people. Only money. And this factory I'm sure is making a killing, you gotta know, since they're making military pants. Our tax dollars at work, once again.

Just another fine example of that "compassionate conservatism"we've heard so much about....

Oh and here's a link to contact the company online:

http://www.macraesbluebook.com/pages/contactus.cfm

[REP]

13. Something's Not Quite Right

Melson says she's her family's only breadwinner since her husband lost his job, yet she's missed, by her own admission, over a month's work this year - that's more than a month absent in six months - to take care of her kids. Why can't her husband - who is not working - take care of the kids? I'd say she's lucky to still have her job at this rate of absenteeism (FMLA leave is granted on basis of hours worked; she may have already exhausted her leave for the year with her "more than a month" of absenteeism this year).

[DeSwiss]

16. Having been on the receiving end of news reports before....

...I'm certain that we're not getting all the story. But then we never do.

That said, Melson's the family's only breadwinner now because her husband was only "recently laid off" when her husband's employer close its doors. So the times when she was absent previously may have had little or nothing to do with his availability but rather and more likely, his employers off-time policies as well.

Further, having helped raise my own children along with my wife, we've both had to take time off to care for them. We had three kids as well. Four weeks out of the year isn't all that unusual. It depends on each circumstance. And it is a documented fact that the lower your income, the more susceptible one is to disease and other medical problems since you can't afford good preventative medical care, you tend to wait until you have no other choice. Which usually increases the time of recovery.

I am also an employer. Right now I have an employee whose son is on the same TN kidney transplant waiting list. I've worked with him so that he can address his family's needs and have granted him LWP in some instances because this is such an unusual situation whee his regular sick time is not adequate.

In my opinion, I don't see her as asking for a free lunch here. Just a heart.

[DeSwiss]

14. ***UPDATE*** Tennessee Apparel Relents

Woman can donate kidney after employer relents
Company's new policy will allow leave for donors

The Tennessean
By CLAUDIA PINTO, Staff Writer
Wednesday, 06/13/07

A Tullahoma-based manufacturing company has decided, after all, to allow one its workers time off to donate one of her healthy kidneys to a dying friend. Tennessee Apparel's board of directors issued a prepared statement Tuesday saying that the company's initial decision denying time off was based on federal law concerning medical leave.

However, the company said that, based on its "goals as an employer," it has now decided to grant employee Pam Melson's request for time off. "Tennessee Apparel wishes Mrs. Melson, and the recipient of her kidney the best of success," the statement said.

Melson, 31, broke down in tears after hearing that she will be able to help her friend, Donnie Hammack. "I want to thank them so much for reconsidering," she said. "It means a lot. At least now I can try to save a man's life."

more at link: http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070613/NEWS07/706130410

*** - I suppose the negative publicity worked. Who knew Republicans cared about negative publicity???

[personman]

17. Don't care about lives till it potentially affects the bottom line...nt

[Quantess]

15. You want to donate your kidney?!? Not on MY TIME!!!

...says Mary Tyler Moore's boss, or something....
:hide:
(sorry that was supposed to be funny).

[Skittles]

18. there are still factories in America?

:(

[Kiouni]

19. Ha! I thought the same thing.

[Tsiyu]

20. Tullahoma is very 'red'

Arnold Air Force Base is nearby which may explain it, but this is the town where I had a lot of road rage directed at me for my "blue" bumper stickers in 2004.

Glad to see the company relented, but I can guaranteee you they aren't paying this woman much. Most employers in Tennessee believe in the "plantation" style of business.

The top guys make big $$$$ People like this woman don't even make a living wage.

[dysfunctional press]

21. as the sole financial provider- she has no business being the donor...

unless perhaps the recipient wants to pick up the expenses involved with the time off from work, and finding a new job.