O/T I Was Refused Employment Due To My Cancer.

[Eli87]

I went in for a job interview yesterday, I told ther interviewer that I could only work a certain amount of hours because I am disabled. He asked me how I was disabled I told him that I have cancer. He looked at me and said "Wow, I don't know if I want you around the meat with cancer." He completely ended the interview and I left feeling pretty crappy. I thought that if I were capable of completing my work tasks on time and qualified for the position I was able to be employed. I also don't understand what he meant by "I don't know if I want you around the meat with cancer"
My questions are... Can I be refused employment because I have cancer? Isn't that discrimination?

[2017Jul5Sandy]

It is discrimination. But unfortunately it is the reality. I think next time for such an occasion, you just found another reason but not mention the true one. It is not required that you should reveal your health information during the interview. It is your own private information.

[ktwmn]

Many of us can certainly empathize with your situation. Some of us need to work in order to afford to pay our out of pocket costs for health care. Sometimes we are in job situations that are unpleasant, yet we cannot simply find another job because we feel trapped from other employment opportunities due to cancer, even if our disease is stable and it has not affected our productivity. And if you are in a field where there are few jobs to begin with...it is very discouraging. SSDI is not practical for those of us who live alone (it doesn't pay enough to meet expenses). So we're in a bind. I wish there was some other recourse.

[veckon]

I went in for a job interview yesterday, I told ther interviewer that I could only work a certain amount of hours because I am disabled. He asked me how I was disabled I told him that I have cancer. He looked at me and said "Wow, I don't know if I want you around the meat with cancer." He completely ended the interview and I left feeling pretty crappy. I thought that if I were capable of completing my work tasks on time and qualified for the position I was able to be employed. I also don't understand what he meant by "I don't know if I want you around the meat with cancer"
My questions are... Can I be refused employment because I have cancer? Isn't that discrimination?

What does meat have to do with it? Raw meat? Was he thinking along the lines of bacteria in raw food possibly infecting you while you are immunocomprimised?

[juliej]

The NCCS (National Coalition for Cancer Survivors) has some good info about how employment discrimination laws protect cancer survivors.

https://www.canceradvocacy.org/resources/employment-rights/how-employment-discrimination-laws-protect-cancer-survivors/

[Maggie Nell]

Eli87"

He looked at me and said "Wow, I don't know if I want you around the meat with cancer." He completely ended the interview and I left feeling pretty crappy.

What a bizarre thing to say! On another forum, people are talking about a documentary called 'What's The Health" that has recently aired
in US? (I'm in Australia) Sounds like another serve of Kool Aid to me....

I think your disclosure didn't get past that individual's sheer ignorance to enter the realm of discrimination. Here's to you finding
employment in a workplace where the jerk factor is minimal.

[weisssoccermom]

I'm also curious....what is the meat comment all about?
As for being discrimination....mostly yes but.....IF you are asking the employer (and this is only an 'if) to make a change (hours) that would inhibit the employer from doing the job, then yes, the employer has a right to say no to you....based on that reason.
For example, IF (again, hypothetical) the job is a 40 hour a week job and you are asking the employer to give you the job but allow you to only work 25 hours because of a disability, the employer DOES have the right to refuse you the job. An employer has to make 'reasonable' accommodations that do not cause 'undue hardship' on the company. So, in the case of an employee who say needs to take more bathroom breaks or sit down BUT can still get the job done....those accommodations don't cause undue hardship.
You don't say how many hours you were asking the employer to accommodate for your disability. If you were asking the employer to allow you to work, for example, 2/3 of the time of the (hypothetical) 40 hour week, that would not be reasonable. Furthermore, the EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunities Commission) does NOT always consider cancer to be a disability. Can you, with REASONABLE accommodation, do the essential aspects of the job? There is NO requirement on the part of the employer that says they have to lower the job standards to accommodate anyone. What stage are you? Although it may not seem important, early stage cancer patients aren't going to be considered 'disabled'. You would have to also demonstrate that you have one of the many 'major life activities' that the ADA covers. I'm certainly not saying that you don't, but just be careful when assuming that because you have cancer, it is an automatic approval for being considered 'disabled'.