9/14(금) Squeezed Out of a Job?

-Man Claims His Obesity Cost Him a Job at McDonald's Joseph Conner used to eat at McDonald's regularly with his five children, and when he was told he had a job offer as a cook at the restaurant's franchise in Hamden, Conn., he was eager to get started. But Conner, who stands 6 feet 1 inch tall and weighs nearly 420 pounds, said that he was never made a part of the restaurant staff because he is overweight. Last year, he filed a lawsuit claiming that McDonald's violated the Americans with Disabilities Act by refusing to let him work there because he is obese. He was never told that he had not been allowed to work because of his weight, but he says he is certain it is the reason the restaurant never carried through on the job he was promised, Conner said. He said he was one of a group of people hired by McDonald's in January 2000. "I got the job but they told me when the uniforms came in that I would start working," Conner said on ABCNEWS' Good Morning America. It was expected to take just three days, Conner said. When he didn't hear from the restaurant, Conner called and said he was told to check back in a few more days. When Conner reached the manager, he said he was told the pants weren't in yet and that he was required to have a full uniform. But Conner claims that other workers didn't have matching pants when he visited the restaurant. He says he noticed other employees were wearing black pants that weren't part of a uniform. By that time, months had gone by. "I mean, it doesn't take that long to make pants for anybody," Conner said. -McDonald's Denies Allegations Conner filed his lawsuit in August 2002 and McDonald's says his allegations are false. "McDonald's strongly denies the allegations raised by Mr. Conner and does not and will not tolerate discrimination of any kind. The allegations in his lawsuit are completely false," the company's statement said. Conner's attorney, Gary Phelan, says his client is a victim of discrimination based on his weight. "There's been rampant discrimination against people with obesity or morbid obesity," Phelan said. "That's the first hurdle we had to overcome was establishing to a judge that we had a claim that disability was covered under the law. The judge in this case held it was. Therefore, we essentially will get our day in court." Conner says he has six years of experience as a cook, and said he could cook at McDonald's in his sleep. Since he came forward, Conner says his attorney has heard from others with similar stories. "Since the story broke, there's been a couple of people that contacted Gary Phelan, saying that some of the things that happened to them," Conner said. Last year, a federal judge dismissed a class-action lawsuit filed against McDonald's on behalf of New York children, claiming the restaurant's food had made them fat. Q1) Do you think Mcdonald's has responsibility on Conner's obesity and eventually has to compensate him for this unreasonable fire? Q2) Obviously, fast food companies like McDonald's have been facing serious problem since health became such a significant issue to people. It turned out that the McDonald's products had lots of ingredients which were not even safe and the way it cooked did not focus on producing healthy foods. Suppose you are the manager of McDonald's. How would you resolve this situation and persuade people to keep choosing your products? Q3) Do you think you are fat? If you do, see if any members of your discussion group would agree with that. I bet no one will. Why many people, especially women think that they are fat? Q4) Have you tried to go on a diet before? Do you have a plan to work out? Do you have any specific motivations which might explain, why many people are so obsessed with working out?