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Tuesday, December 15, 2015

CSU-Sacramento Human Resources Analyst files lawsuit alleging discrimination, harassment and retaliation

A self-identified "white 58 year old male" with 13 years experience in the CSUS Human Resources department has filed a legal action alleging age, gender and race discrimination. The civil complaint further alleges that the plaintiff Robert Bartley was subject to retaliation and suffered an acute work related stress disorder.

The claim states that the University failed to reasonably accommodate his physician prescribed need for reduced work hours. An attached Exhibit (K) shows that the Equal Opportunity Director sought to accommodate him by limiting his work hours to 50 per week, and promising 48 hours notice when he would have to work more. An additional cause of action questions whether Bartley was properly assigned to "exempt" status (not subject to overtime rules).

The complaint references a classification and work assignment dispute and an assertion that the plaintiff was not given proper consideration in his application for a management position. The person appointed instead (in 2014) was subsequently removed, and in a request for reconsideration, she complained herself rather extensively about the leadership of the CSUS HR office. The lawsuit's Exhibit G details her complaints about HR management, including the assertion that she was directed to help "get rid" of Bartley.

Her letter said that along with her staff, she had been "working in a climate of fear, intimidation and desperation."  She wrote that Bartley had for years conducted new employee orientation sessions and was removed from that assignment because he portrayed the wrong "image" to new employees - that of a "middle aged white male."