Genetic Discrimination in the IT Workplace 556
MisterTut writes "In what could be a troubling trend, one employer- the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway -was found to have secretly run unproven genetic tests on workers suffering Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. The company was trying to prove that they were not culpable for cases of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome from which the employees were suffering.
The ethical considerations of such testing, covert and illicit or not, are profound for those of us working in the IT industry."
Life Imitates Art (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Genetic Testing !Consent == Invasion of Privacy (Score:1, Informative)
Re:This could backfire... (Score:3, Informative)
There is nothing there that says it must be "genetic" to be considered a disability. In fact, some cases of CTS could be considered a disability and others might not.
For instance, if it was so severe that you were not able to use a keyboard for a long period of time, then it could be a disability.
TFA wasn't very helpful (Score:1, Informative)
So I found this one:
http://www.law.duke.edu/journals/dltr/articles/20
Re:morality vs. science: equality vs. inequality (Score:5, Informative)
On the one hand we espouse the notion that "all people are created equal." It's an excellent core belief for the basis for civilization, government, law, etc. Yet science makes a mockery of this belief because we are not geneticaly equal and those differences impact outcomes that have legal, governmental, and social implications.
It does not take science and genetics to show that all men are not created equal in the sense that you are using the term. Even back in the 1700 some people were born bigger, stronger, smarter, prettier, etc. than others. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses, and inherent advantages and disadvantages due to circumstance.
The phrase, "all men are created equal" is followed by the phrase, "that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights." It then goes on to enumerate some of those rights. Men are created equal in that they are all deserving of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, not in that they are all equally strong, smart, or resistant to cancer.
BN-SF sucks anyway - this isn't a surprise (Score:5, Informative)
Was it because she was a bad employee? Nope - her work record was spotless and her evaluations were impeccable. No, it was because BN-SF went out of their way to try to make people quit before they reached retirement. They did this to everyone in hopes of avoiding paying those hard-earned pensions.
Therefore, it doesn't surprise me at all to hear that they're trying to screw over yet another set of employees. That's been their SOP for years, so I can't imagine they'd turn tail now.
By the way, if you want an example of a completely incompetent union, there you have it. I'm not pro-union to begin with, but I'd expect one to at least try to help its members.
Re:BN-SF sucks anyway - this isn't a surprise (Score:1, Informative)
This will depend on your local laws.
In the US, perhaps this is legal. In some countries it is _not_ legal to order someone to do stuff like this if it's not part of what they should be expected to do.
Denial, blame, idealogy (Score:2, Informative)
Re:That's NOT the original phrasing. (Score:3, Informative)
You're not quite correct. The original poster was quoting the declaration of independence which always read as I stated. It was, however, strongly influenced by the writings of Locke who wrote "...being all equal and independent, no one ought to harm another in his Life, Health, Liberty, or Estate." 'Estate' was a synonym for possessions in its use at the time. It is my understanding that your assertion about the quote is a myth perpetuated by those who were confused by statements about how Jefferson took Locke's works and modified them and who assumed Jefferson was quoting more or less verbatim (which was not the case).
In any case, Locke based much of his work upon existing Jewish "moral" law which held that rulers were not above the law and their actions were not unquestionable. Numerous other cultures (including Greek, Roman, numerous African, etc.) had long codified similar beliefs. It was not new, except among the aristocracy of western Europe.
To get back to the original topic, how does the any of this make a difference as far as the interpretation of how men are held to be equal is concerned?
Re:And what if... (Score:3, Informative)
Just a thought...
Backgrounder on Genetics of CTS and RR Company (Score:2, Informative)
Re:I have a "pre-existing condition" (Score:3, Informative)
My dad always told me to get a profession (lawyer, doctor, etc.), not a job. With a job, say as a manager, you're always dependent on a company being willing to employ you for your income. With a profession, you can work for a company or a firm, or hang out your own shingle and work for yourself. One of the best things about being a skilled developer is that it's more of a profession than a job, and you can hang out your own shingle if a company won't hire you. Sounds like you've got the skills to do so, and now a business degree to help you with the financial/legal/managerial side of running your own business, so why not give it a try?
There are multiple options: contract application development (http://www.dice.com/ [dice.com] http://www.scriptlance.com/ [scriptlance.com] http://www.getafreelancer.com/ [getafreelancer.com] http://www.rentacoder.com/ [rentacoder.com] http://www.elance.com/ [elance.com] government & corporate grants for small tech businesses (http://www.technologygrantnews.com/ [technologygrantnews.com]), or various tech-related consulting services (here's one somewhat related to your situation - http://www.adaptivetech.net/ [adaptivetech.net]).
It's easy to get into the mindset of thinking the only way to make money is by working for a corporation, and to an extent that's probably the most secure way, unless the corporation goes under. But there are other avenues that while initiallly more difficult may give you more control over your own destiny, and hence may prove to be both more secure and more rewarding in the long run. Try to identify a need that your skills and experiences allow you to address in a unique way. For example, your tech skills and long experience, plus MS might allow for some interesting services to people with MS and similar demographics, and would probably be a decent candidate for a government small business grant. Think about it.