RA and work

February 19, 2008

Hi guys, I have a question regarding ADA laws and work. I am a truck

driver and i've been working for my company 23 years. I deliver glass

to construction sites and I love what I do. I was diagnosed with RA

almost 2 years ago and because of my flair ups, i've either had to

miss work or go home early. I load my own truck and when i have a

flair I can barely walk or I can't lift anything. My supervisor has

told me twice this past year in so many words that he's getting tired

of me missing work and that I should go on disability because he has a

business to run and he needs someone who can be at work everyday. He

says that if I don't go on disability he has to make a decision about

my job, to me that sounds like a threat. There are months where I feel

great and I'm at work every day. I would like to know if what he is

telling me is illegal, and if he has a right to fire me. I do not want

to lose my job. Please can anyone help me.

February 19, 2008

I think that you will find your answer in the definition

of " reasonable " , unfortunately. I think an employer is required

to " modify " a job or work environment if and only if it is reasonable

to the type of job and productivity ect. If there was any way for him

to accomodate you on the days when you have flare ups, or inexpensive

way to somehow replace or subtitute you when you are " out sick " , then

yes. But if it is virtually impossible for him to replace you, ie.

the company is very small, or he can't have someone on call that is

trained ect. Then it depends. I will give you an example in my own

life. At my last job, I was required to count inventory, which

entailed me being on my feet for a prolonged period of time. Flare up

or not, I can't stand on my feet for that long, and the rest of my

duties were " desk jobs " , so what was considered reasonable in my

case, was to get me a rolling chair, so I could sit and count

inventory, and in a case that I was really feeling bad, my boss would

get one of the technicians to count inventory that day for me.

As far as ADA is concerned it really depends. I had a boss threaten

me because I was calling in sick to often, and the EEOC(federal)

wouldn't even take my calim. If you live in california, I would go to

the state, I think it is the Department of Fair Housing and Equal

Employment. California has more strick guidelines, and I think you'd

have better luck. Or maybe at least they could answer your questions.

Also you may want to check and see if your county has a non-profit

organization dedicated to this type of information. I know every

county has a fair housing office, so they may have Equal Employment

aswell. If you are in LA County area, you may be able to call 211, to

get resources of this type.

Hope this helped!

All power to ya too, I know that I couldn't drive trucks with my RA,

I'd fall asleep at the wheel. It's good that you want to stay active.

Hey maybe there would be a different position at your company or an

associate company that might not require physical labor, have you

considered that?

Also, the right to fire you, and the ability to, are two way

different things. You should talk to someone about it. You may have

to do something to safegaurd your well being. ie put something in

writting, but at the same time by doing so, he just might fire you.

If he does, you may have rights to sue him, but what would you do in

the mean time. Discrimination claims can go on for years.

Anyway, I can go on and on.

Hope this finds you well,

--- In , " Ornelas " <javierucla@...>

wrote:

>

> Hi guys, I have a question regarding ADA laws and work. I am a

truck

> driver and i've been working for my company 23 years. I deliver

glass

> to construction sites and I love what I do. I was diagnosed with RA

> almost 2 years ago and because of my flair ups, i've either had to

> miss work or go home early. I load my own truck and when i have a

> flair I can barely walk or I can't lift anything. My supervisor has

> told me twice this past year in so many words that he's getting

tired

> of me missing work and that I should go on disability because he

has a

> business to run and he needs someone who can be at work everyday.

He

> says that if I don't go on disability he has to make a decision

about

> my job, to me that sounds like a threat. There are months where I

feel

> great and I'm at work every day. I would like to know if what he is

> telling me is illegal, and if he has a right to fire me. I do not

want

> to lose my job. Please can anyone help me.

>

April 3, 2008

you can try crocs or I use the ones that look like crocs from walmart. They are

quite comfortable.

[ ] RA and work

for those of you are blessed to still be able to work i have a

question.... how do u deal with RA and working? with the fatigue i

have had lately and the pain i am not sure how i am doing to be able

to work (currently on maternity leave, got a few DAYS left), i go

back to work on monday and have no idea how i am going to deal with

it. I am a nurse in a long term care faciltiy/ nursing home and i am

up and down, on my feet a lot. I just cannot imagine working with the

way i feel right now. I HAVE to work if I plan on keeping my house

and feeding my kids, it is not a choice.

i have also been watching the shoe post about shoes and work, anyone

have suggestions for good shoes that are not dressy....tie up

sneakers KILL me right now, i have been wearing slippers for the past

2 or 3 weeks, even out in public. i use to wear burkenstocks clog

type shoes but they got to be soo expensive to buy, i guess worth it

though.

anyway i just was curious how others dealt with work and everything

when feeling like crud.

amber

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April 3, 2008

Hi Amber, one of the reasons I'm such an Enbrel junkie is that I love the

constitutional benefits. I feel less tired and sluggy when I'm on it. I was dx

in '06 and all through '05 I was going to the dr demanding they check my TSH

thinking my Synthroid dose surely must be off b/c I could barely get up and out

the door. I think the fatigue was the RA coming back and of course it hasn't

left since, but Enbrel + low dose pred keep it at bay.

As for shoes, try the Dansko clogs. They're not fitted and have a lot of

support. Since they're not fitted they don't pinch anywhere. I frequently get

flares in my feet and they're comfy for me to wear, even when I'm ouchy. They

also last forever. I bought mine in '04 and they show no signs of wear.

Best, Kate F