Able Body Labor
(Austin, TX) violation of rights, harassment and intimidation

This company needs to be recognized for what they are. They have harassed and attempted to intimidate me for nearly a year now. I worked but a short time for their company. I was not fired; I left of my own free will, without them asking me to, because their business practices were so offensive and a violation of my rights. I am NOT the only one. I saw them do this to another employee. My case is a case of discrimination becasue I am female in a male dominated industry; the other person was subject to similar because of race. I will not participate in immoral and criminal activities to keep my job.
My work with them was termed "high quality" and I was held up to the other workers as "the kind of employee we need more of... Why cant you all work good for us the way she does..." only 24 HOURS before the trouble started! I was repeatedly requested by my emloyers to return. I was told that I had a list of several more projects scheduled for me to work after this one was done. I am a skilled worker (commercial painter & faux finisher, punch-out team, warranty claims) and have been in my field for several years before this happened. My work has gone on successfully in three other states since the early 90's without this problem before I came to this city. I have a clean background, no criminal or drug issues ever, and a class A discharge from the military. But when they found out two things about me, the trouble started.
First, there were requests by client companies for the prostitues (or women who do not have real trade skills but are addicted and will do sexual things on the job to get money and to get daily tickets from this company) that they were accustomed to having sent to be sent. They asked me to find out where these women were. There was a company "top off party" scheduled for that afternoon on that site. And they asked me about myself. I told my employer and made it quite clear that I am a skilled tradesman, foreman level, and have nothing to do with this.
Second, at about this time, my employer, Able Body Labor, noticed that off duty, when I had to go into the office for a moment to talk to them, I was wearing my engagement ring set, a beautiful showy piece of jewelry with a center solitare and 8 small diamonds surrounding, that I was engaged in a solid long-term relationship. This came to notice cause other girls in there waiting to work saw the set on my left hand and made a fuss about how pretty it was. My employer asked about that, and after I left that day, THAT VERY DAY, my employer began to act in a harassing manner, to include verbal comments, paperwork against my quality of work (which that employer did withdrawl when I confronted the issue), and in calls to my client/employer. My client/employer had no issue with me personally, had asked me to submit my resume just days prior to their company, and did not go along with Able Body on this. They told me they did not do that negative report on me, that it came from my "own people" - in other words, from the company that sent me to them. I stayed one more day to talk to all involved... The office I worked out of, the corporate headquarters itself, and the client/employer. Once I cleared my name, I turned in my resignation. That was almost 11 mos ago. I left and left that issue behind me. I subsequently worked for other agencies and never dealt with any of it again.
However, since October last year (the original incident was in August same year), I have been the subject of violent and criminal actions from individuals who work for that company, Able Body/Austin, and say when they do what they do, that they have issues with me because of that company. My local District Atty office has criminal complaints in process on my behalf. There have been three issues which have gone thru, as several that havent. My personal life has been severly affected and my physical well-being jeopardized. And I cannot find work for months now. I have had to have verbal, sometime physical, confrontations from nearly a dozen men because of this, each on individual occasions.
This correlates with the treatment that I saw that other worker recieve. He was injured on their site. When they picked him up and saw what happened, they made a racial issue out of it and set other men after him to chase him out of town and away from his claim for medical help.
This is the only time I have ever worked for these people, and only because in my town you are all but forced to do so. They do not allow the application for work at job sites as is traditional everywhere else in this city.
I would like to hear from others in here who have similar stories. I have found research that indicates things along these lines have happened by this company in other states on several occasions before.

Company: Able Body Labor
Country: USA
State: Texas
City: Austin
Address: 6601 N. Lamar Blvd

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