BURGER KING CORPORATION, OWNED BY WALL STREET GIANTS STILL CRYING "BABY KILLER" IN THEIR 40 YEAR HISTORY OF VETERAN HIRING DESCRIMINATION
By JON CHAVEZ, BLADE BUSINESS WRITER
Are you a Vietnam veteran looking for a job at Burger King? You may not get the job, but it won't be because you fought in the war 40 years ago.
Like a window to the past, current job seekers at area Burger Kings will find application forms stating that the company will not discriminate "… because of status as a veteran of the Vietnam conflict. …"
Officials of Bennett Management Corp., the local franchisee that owns 31 Burger Kings in Toledo, Monroe and Kalamazoo, Mich., and Fort Wayne, Ind., said they weren't aware that their forms still made reference to Vietnam vets – an employment oddity because most job applicants working for the fast-food chain only know of the Vietnam War, which ended in 1975, via history books…
"I think [the language] came through our legal department and it must have been put there a long, long time ago," said Jim Rower, human resources director for Bennett. "I read it, but I guess it never struck me as unusual one way or another."
Christine Nazer, a spokesman for the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in Washington, said federal labor law prohibits discrimination against all veterans.
So, language singling out Vietnam veterans is unusual, she added. "My impression is that they probably just worded the statement incorrectly or they have recycled old language."
However, Rick Weidman, a Washington, attorney who handles discrimination cases for the Vietnam Veterans Association, said the language served a useful purpose 20 to 25 years ago – a period when Vietnam veterans were facing job discrimination.
"Essentially, Vietnam vets were demonized. … It was hurting their careers in private business," Mr. Weidman said.
A study in 1984 found employers were less likely to hire veterans of the Vietnam era than nonveterans. Most said it was because they didn't want to hire someone who might be unstable, author James Bordieri of the University of Wisconsin said.
Robert Bennett, chairman and owner of Bennett Management, said a rewording of the language is probably in order.
Contact Jon Chavez at:
[email protected]
or 419-724-6128.
"Go to Original" links are provided as a convenience to our readers and allow for verification of authenticity. However, as originating pages are often updated by their originating host sites, the versions posted on VT may not match the versions our readers view when clicking the "Go to Original" links.
(In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. VT has no affiliation whatsoever with the originator of this article nor is VT endorsed or sponsored by the originator. Any opinions expressed by the author(s) are not necessarily those of VT or representative of any staff member at VT.)
Gordon Duff posted articles on VT from 2008 to 2022. He is a Marine combat veteran of the Vietnam War. A disabled veteran, he worked on veterans and POW issues for decades.
Gordon is an accredited diplomat and is generally accepted as one of the top global intelligence specialists. He manages the world’s largest private intelligence organization and regularly consults with governments challenged by security issues.
Duff has traveled extensively, is published around the world, and is a regular guest on TV and radio in more than “several” countries. He is also a trained chef, wine enthusiast, avid motorcyclist, and gunsmith specializing in historical weapons and restoration. Business experience and interests are in energy and defense technology.
ATTENTION READERS
We See The World From All Sides and Want YOU To Be Fully InformedIn fact, intentional disinformation is a disgraceful scourge in media today. So to assuage any possible errant incorrect information posted herein, we strongly encourage you to seek corroboration from other non-VT sources before forming an educated opinion.
About VT - Policies & Disclosures - Comment Policy
