Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, June 29, 1995 TAG: 9506290066
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: LESLIE TAYLOR STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The chapter voted last week to ask the department's Civil Rights Commission for an investigation, Henry Craighead, the NAACP chapter's chairman of labor and industry, said at a news conference Wednesday.
Gloria Dowe, a 29-year TAP Head Start employee, had filed a discrimination complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in 1993. She alleged that in retaliation for filing the complaint, she was demoted.
Dowe filed a retaliation complaint with the EEOC in January. She was fired in April.
This month, at Dowe's request, a TAP grievance committee held a hearing on her dismissal. The committee unanimously agreed that the decision to fire Dowe was correct.
But Dowe claimed that the hearing did not follow proper procedure, and that perjury was committed during the hearing. Though TAP's personnel director told her that proper procedure was followed, Dowe - with the NAACP's endorsement - wrote to the Justice Department.
"I hope they will actually come in and investigate the agency," Dowe said. She also wants her job back, plus damages.
Edward Mitchell had worked for TAP Head Start for nine years, most recently as a service manager. Early this year, his supervisor began questioning his job performance, he said.
He was placed on two months' probation, scheduled to end in March. But that month, his supervisor told him she wanted to continue his probation, he said.
Mitchell said he refused and discussed the action with other TAP management, but was placed on probation anyway. He appealed the probation, and ultimately it was rescinded. But less than a week later, he was fired.
Mitchell appealed to a grievance committee. The committee upheld the firing, but recommended that he be offered another position. Mitchell said the pay was so low that "it was a slap in the face."
Mitchell, who has filed a discrimination complaint with the EEOC, now works for American Janitorial Service. Dowe is a student at Virginia Western Community College.
Ted Edlich, TAP executive director, said the agency has taken a hard look at both cases and was treating them as personnel issues.
"In both cases, there have been grievance procedures which have upheld termination," he said. "Further than that, these are personnel matters that I'm not going to be interested in commenting about."
Edlich defended TAP's hiring practices and its affirmative-action program. Of the organization's 247 employees, 114 are white and 133 are black. Of the 19 people in top management, 10 are white and nine are black.
"TAP has got a pretty admirable record in this community with respect to our fairness in hiring and employment," he said. "We also have a very stable employee work force."
Edlich said he was not aware of the request for a Justice Department investigation. But in response, he said, "People are free to take whatever action they choose to."
by CNB