Hi, I'm Shellee, and I've been in the Olympia community for more than 30 years. I worked for 4.5 years (six months shy of being vested in a 401K and being eligible for one of those sweet, sweet pensions) in a call center for a large corporation, until a disability made working in that role untenable. I requested a reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act, and my employer spent 30 days trying to find me a different job that I'd be qualified for. In May of 2024, I was fired because they said they couldn't find me a position. Here's the deal: I used to work in a back-office role as a temp assigned to the same company. I received overwhelmingly positive feedback from colleagues and supervisors. There were plenty of open positions in this section of the company that I would have qualified for, and that many of my former coworkers were performing 100% remotely since the company shut down our local office due to COVID stay-home orders. This company, however, would not consider me eligible for remote work... for dubious reasons.

I have retained a very good lawyer, but since I have been unemployed for more than a year, I have not been able to pay her beyond the retainer I was able to pay by cashing out my 401K. Tonight I received an email from her informing me that I need to pay $2,000 by Saturday in order to continue being represented by her. This comes at a critical time with the EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) as they wrap up their investigation of the charge I filed against my employer.

The reason this is important is because corporations are demanding that their employees return to the office to do work that was previously done quite successfully from home. Employers use the return-to-office requirement as a way to cut jobs without the bad press that layoffs can generate. Being required to return to the office is hazardous for many people with compromised immunity due to past COVID infections or environmental sensitivities. In my case, my former employer just didn't want to provide a reasonable accommodation because they thought they could force me back to the office in another state, one of 3 red states (Atlanta, GA, Dallas, TX, or Phoenix, AZ), away from the strong connections I have made over the past 30 years. This case could have a widespread effect on workers everywhere who are being forced to choose between working in hazardous conditions, sacrificing their health, or being fired. This could force employers to treat workers fairly when it comes to workplace safety and work-life balance.