Company freely admits fat-based discrimination

8th November 2007

Company freely admits fat-based discrimination

posted in Fat Bias |

Westgate Resorts, the largest private employer in central Florida, has a real knack for attracting potential employees.

The timeshare sales and rental company announced that not only can employees not smoke at work, they can’t smoke off the job, either. The CEO of the company, David Siegel, told TV station Local 6, “when I found out it was legal to discriminate against smokers, I put the policy in place.”

See the story here.

But it’s not only smokers who face discrimination at Westgate.

“Anything we can do that is legal and not discriminatory, we will do,” Siegel told the station. “If you are an alcoholic and we have the right to fire you, we will do so. And if you are obese and there is a way for us not to hire you or to fire you, we will do that, too.”

As most fat people can tell you, there already is a perfectly legal way not to hire a fat person. You simply don’t call fat candidates back after an interview. And no need to fire a fat employee; you just make life at work so incredibly stressful, denigrating and frustrating that the fat employee finally gives up and quits.

Money, of course, is at the root of Westgate’s evil practices, although social stigma against fat people probably isn’t far behind. Siegel said that since the anti-smoking policy went into effect, health insurance claims have gone down significantly. He cites cheaper health insurance for employees amongst his motives, but no doubt the savings fatten his pocketbook, too.

I wonder if the lowered health claims Siegel cites is really because of a lack of smokers, or the fact that Westgate employees are now just too scared to use their health insurance. What’s next? Westgate won’t hire people with depression? Women of childbearing ages?

Gee, Westgate Resorts sounds like a real friendly workplace, huh? I wonder if board members conduct meetings in white sheets, too.

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This entry was posted on Thursday, November 8th, 2007 at 4:12 pm and is filed under Fat Bias. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

1 On November 8th, 2007, vesta44 said:

In some states, you can be fired for no reason at all and have absolutely no recourse. They don’t have to tell you why you’re being fired, and most of the time, they just tell you that you aren’t needed anymore. Most employers are smart enough to not tell you why they aren’t hiring you, they just don’t call you, as you said. Some of them won’t even interview you if you took your application in in person (they can see you are fat, therefore, if they don’t hire the fat, your application goes in the round file without even being looked at).

posted on November 8th, 2007 at 5:14 pm

2 On November 8th, 2007, Carrie said:

Well African Americans are more likely to be obese than whites, and probably have higher health costs because of it (if you follow his logic). So he’s also being incredibly racist. I would hope that if the company says “We freely discriminate against black people,” the ACLU would haul his ass into the Supreme Court. Are they doing so here?

I actually don’t know the answer, but I hope it’s “yes.”

There’s a part of me that hopes the CEO gets fat and then is forced to fire himself. Something tells me that won’t happen. Alas.

posted on November 8th, 2007 at 5:55 pm

3 On November 8th, 2007, Sandy said:

Great post. Aging people are also heavier than younger people, meaning this is age discrimination, to boot!

As I always say, fat is the ‘gateway issue’ to discriminate against all of those our society finds ‘unacceptable.’

posted on November 8th, 2007 at 6:17 pm

4 On November 9th, 2007, Sarah said:

Michigan is the only state which specifies that employers cannot discriminate against people based on weight:

Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act (1976) of the State of Michigan prohibits “discrimination practices, policies, and customs in the exercise of those rights based upon religion, race, color, national origin, age, sex, height, weight, or marital status.” The Michigan Department of Civil Rights is the agency assigned to handle complaints of discrimination.

posted on November 9th, 2007 at 3:47 am

5 On November 9th, 2007, Harriet said:

Love the post.

posted on November 9th, 2007 at 10:48 am

6 On November 9th, 2007, Caprice said:

This company has resorts and rentals throughout the country. The best way to hit their pocketbook is to go somewhere else. Let them know when you do this.

posted on November 9th, 2007 at 3:04 pm

7 On November 9th, 2007, Meowser said:

My BF and I were once discussing a similar policy set in place by another company (UPS, I think it was), and he said one of the most cogent things I’ve ever heard anyone say about the issue: “I assume that policy doesn’t apply to their top executives.” No, of course not. They can feel free to go on eating 28-ounce Porterhouse steaks and baked potatoes with butter and sour cream and washing it all down with three or four martinis, every day if they like, at taxpayer expense. And of course end each meal with a big old Cohiba. It’s only the peons who are expected to be viceless.

posted on November 9th, 2007 at 9:29 pm

8 On November 10th, 2007, Rio Iriri said:

I’d like to come up with a list of companies to boycott for fat discrimination, including subsidiaries (like the specific resorts owned by this company).

posted on November 10th, 2007 at 8:56 pm

9 On November 11th, 2007, Rachel said:

This is one of the issues we discussed today at the Think Tank. Kind of like aboutface.com’s Hall of Shame and Hall of Fame.

posted on November 11th, 2007 at 12:21 am

10 On November 22nd, 2007, Carrie said:

Wow, at least Westgate now admits openly that they discriminate. However, they seem to discriminate by state as to who goes and who stays. As a former employee of Westgate in Springfield, MO I’ve seen it all. While in Westgates employment I saw coworkers show up for work openly drugged out of their minds. One of the current manager’s brothers still works there…he’s a raging alcoholic who is gone due to drunkenness more than he’s at work. And talk about his medical claims…through the roof. In the mornings we had to go outside for group meetings so smokers could puff. Some of us were dying for a spot of fresh air, but we were denied the right to go inside because the smokers rights ruled over our right to breath. And let’s not forget the fatties. There were many who ruled the place with an iron fist. The place is an EEOC action waiting to happen and ripe for a class action suit.

The funniest part of David Siegal making this big stand against unhealthy acts is that it merely lines his pockets. Westgate has some of the crumiest insurance around and then if they can cut their cost it would make it far better for Mr. Siegal. If you think for a moment he cares one iota for his employees well-being, think again. It’s his pocket book he cares about.

This is one of many schemes I’ve watched David Siegal pull to put more $$$ in his own pocket. In the last two years he’s taken away every benefit worth having and replaced them with bennies nearly impossible to use or obtain. He’s even found ways to turn his employees into a profit base by taking away commissions at a higher rate than they were paid out. It’s about time this guy was exposed for the greedy jerk he really is.

posted on November 22nd, 2007 at 10:56 pm

11 On January 17th, 2008, "Star" said:

I am a Westgate employee and have been for 2 years now. From my tours I have generated over 4 million dollars in sales for Westgate Resorts and David Seigel. When I heard of the comments he has been making about smokers and people that are overweight, it disgusted me. How dare he try to control people and what they do in their private lives. I can understand forbidding smoking on the job (I admit that it does look bad when employees smoke in their uniforms and in plain sight) but you absolutely cannot tell a person what they can and cannot do at home. This is obviously a ploy to line his pocketbooks and save on the cost of healthcare, seeing as problems stemming from obesity and smoking are leading killers for Americans. You cannot crack open this door without releasing the floodgates. What’s next? Soon the application will read, “Westgate Resorts will not consider you for employement if you are any race other than white, if you are gay, fat, a smoker, any religion other than Jewish (which Mr. Seigel is), or a woman.” Congratulations Mr. Seigal, for portraying yourself as an intelligent businessman, when really you’re nothing but a hypocrite. Did I mention that Mr. Seigel weighs about 250 lbs himself?… very interesting indeed.

posted on January 17th, 2008 at 10:27 pm

12 On April 8th, 2008, whiskers said:

Someone just did this to me today. Aronov Realty. I was asked by a staffing agency if I would work this weekend at a booth for the home-builders association and accepted the job. I was supposed to go into an “interview” today to get the materials I had to memorize. The man saw me walk in the door and refused to interview me, he had his assistant talk to me for literally 2 minutes, refused to look at my resume and then they called and said they didn’t need anyone else they were already full. I can only assume it was because of the way I look.

I am overweight but attractive, I was dressed professionaly and I have a TON of expirience . . . I honestly think the guy is shooting himself in the foot though – if I’m out looking to buy or buid a home it’s a huge investment.I’m probably a married or older couple or a single mom with kids – I want someone friendly and knowlegable giving me info not some “hot” chick who may be dumb as a box of rocks and just got the job because she’s more attractive. Also I’ll never buy or buid with them, and I’ll be relaying this story to friends and family so that’s hundreds of thousands of dollars in potential business he just lost for his company.

posted on April 8th, 2008 at 4:57 pm

13 On November 24th, 2008, CIgar smoker said:

This is total crap. What people do in their own time in their own homes is nobody elses business. So these morons don’t like smokers and they don’t like overweight people. If Hitler was still alive, these but-heads would probably run his re-relection campaign.

Just remember, people who live in glass houses should not throw stones. Wait till they meet St. Peter at the pearly gates and realize he was a little overwight from eating too many olives.

posted on November 24th, 2008 at 4:46 pm

14 On July 26th, 2010, Amy said:

I wonder how many amazing sales people this guys has lost on account of not hiring smokers or fat people. I guarantee there has been a lot. As a matter of fact there isn’t a single salesperson at my job that isn’t one or the other of these. High stress jobs invoke habits. What happens when he finds out coffee can kill you? Ask how many cups a day in the interview questions? Doubt it.

Good employers create more than a good bottom line. I guarantee that over time he will lose in stress related illness in what he gains in his policy driven attempts at savings. Decisions like this show something about the character of a person. Besides the banks, I bet this guy is single-handedly the biggest contributing factor to Florida’s Real Estate market falling into the toilet. That’s what happens when people can’t tell who they are buying from.

You know another detail that’s kinda unrelated but really interesting. David Segiel flew for free out of MCO because he “provided jobs for such a large portion of the florida population”. Our country makes no sense to me. Why do we give things away for free to people who can afford to buy whatever they want? So, David Segiel builds and empire… you know what the reward for that is: AN EMPIRE!! AARRGH. So retarded!

posted on July 26th, 2010 at 8:05 pm