I work in a very large building, that gets a lot of guests. Several companies all work out of the building serving the guests too. After I had been working there for a few months, they suddenly made numerous announcements regarding elevator use.
The new rule was that employees may not use the main elevator that is in the main area we work in, which is also the main area guests walk around in. They are requiring us to take the stairs. There is only one elevator we are allowed to use, and that is not in the main guest area, also it only accesses credentialed areas, so guests can't get anywhere using that elevator anyways. It's by default an employee elevator because it accesses employee only areas.
So that means if you are in the main area, where guests are, and you are working, you may not use the elevator while you are getting around the job areas. Only guests can. However that is problematic for several reasons, on my own behalf, this is problematic because I have a health problem, and a doctor has advised me to avoid stairs whenever possible. It really takes a toll on me to do stairs sometimes.
It is problematic on everyone's behalf because many of the workers legally only get a 15 minute break. The amount of time it takes everyone to walk all the way around the building and down all the stairs and then back up, is so long, that nearly the entire break is consumed walking to dinner and back. You only get like 4 minutes to eat then. That's unfair. You are also not allowed to be seen consuming food in areas where guests can see you, so if you are working on the top floor and just want to hunker down there somewhere for 15 minutes and eat some food, you are forbidden from doing so. Sometimes when the night is going rough, some of us just sneak food in the bathrooms stalls.
When they first made this announcement, they of course explained that people who need the elevator for ADA purposes are exempt from this, but then when I attempted to use the elevator, i repeatedly had the elevator operators try to physically stop me from entering, or they would try to refuse to take me up, or they would tell me i'm not allowed and force me to say I need an ADA accomodation, which is humiliating and embarrassing. This is literally the thief of my dignity, begging to use an elevator which I have every legal right to use, and being harassed by fellow workers over-aggressively enforcing a anti-worker rule that even causes them to suffer.
Numerous times since then, I have brought this up to various supervisors and reminded them that the over aggressive policing of the elevator and harassment of ADA seeking workers must end, I have suggested they give workers proper training on how to handle the elevator and workers with invisible disabilities that seek accomodation. I have also suggested that it is not okay that I am forced repeatedly into stating that I am disabled. Yet nothing changes. I feel my rights are being violated every time this happens.
Yesterday a lot of stuff was going on, I had to travel across this giant building very quickly, and I was feeling poorly health wise, so I headed to the elevator. Two people blocked it physically shaking their heads at me telling me, “no this is not for you,” and I said, “yes, I am going to take the elevator, I need an ADA accomodation, it's my legal right” and then I bypassed the lady and hit the button to call the elevator all by myself, and got in.
She shook her head nastily at her co-worker and sneered, and glaring at me said, “well, I guess some people just don't care” I then stopped and said to her that “Yes, I do care, did she not just hear me say I need this ADA accomodation? I am legally entitled. So don't say I don't care, you don't care.” Then this person, who is obviously doing too much, tells me quite nastily that she was talking about something unrelated and says I am being “aggressive,” so I guess incompetent people who are violating your rights don't appreciate when you stand up for yourself, and if you call them out about inappropriate comments, that is aggressive. If I could roll my eyes any harder, they would break. The entire conversation was about the elevator so not only did she insult and humiliate me, she then tried to passive aggressively lie to my face and talk to me like I'm an idiot.
I am considering filing some sort of formal legal complaints against my employer and the associated contracting entities, and also thinking about possibly suing these business entities. However, I work for a large company that handles contracts with many vendors and businesses and this ONLY happens when I work at this one particular business entities location. So usually when I work for my company on other contracts, the other businesses and buildings don't do this.
So ideally I would like to keep my job with my company, and I could just quit working at this particular place, on this one account, but there's also super perks involved that are MAJOR, so it would be sad to leave, the job comes with juice. I would be more open about it, but it's a world class business name so I am trying to be on the DL obviously.
I am wondering if I file a formal complaint about my rights being violated, is that anonymous, or does the company know who reported this violation? If they know I did it, would they be legally able to openly retaliate or would they have to retaliate in a sneaky way? How often do workers end up reporting/suing companies for rights violations and it all works out for them.
I really like my job, and I don't want to be unemployed, but I also don't want to face abuse or harassment, or be humiliated every time I am in this particular building. I kinda want legal revenge, and also I'm wavering over burning this bridge.
Sometimes revenge is so tempting, that I can't help but burn a bridge. I really want to do something about this that has a future positive affect on the workers in the building, without throwing myself under the bus. We are in a union, so maybe they would be able to help.