Two Alabamians who say they lost their jobs with large companies not because of a failure to perform but because of the cost of treating their multiple sclerosis joined Montgomery attorney Julian McPhillips for a press conference today.
McPhillips said their cases are part of a larger concern about the plight of people with MS who can do their jobs but need costly medications.
Andrew Bell, president of the Alabama-Mississippi Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, said the cost of drugs to treat MS has "skyrocketed" to an average of about $90,000 a year.
Bell said more than a million Americans and about 6,000 people in Alabama have MS, which he said usually strikes between ages 20 and 50.
"Most people with MS are of working age," Bell said. "They want to continue working."
Jennifer Akridge of Montgomery, 48, was fired from Alfa Insurance in December 2016 after 27 years with the company. She filed a disability discrimination claim with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and a lawsuit under the Americans with Disabilities Act. The case is pending in federal court in Montgomery.
Akridge began working for Alfa in 1989 and was diagnosed with MS in 1993, her lawsuit says. Alfa named her its employee of the year in 1995, according to the lawsuit. Her illness was well known at the company and it required her to take paid leave intermittently but she was still able to do her job in underwriting, partly by working at home, the lawsuit says.
Akridge was receiving shots for MS that cost as much as $11,000 a month. Alfa is self-insured and was paying for that treatment, the lawsuit says.
Jeff Helms, director of public relations and communications for Alfa, said the company does not comment on pending litigation.
"In fulfilling our obligation to our members and policyholders and as a true equal opportunity employer, we will not practice, tolerate, or condone discrimination because of race, color, religion, creed, sex, age, physical or mental disability or national origin," Helms said in a statement.
Robert Doll, 50, of Conecuh County, said he believes he was fired from his job as manager of a Weyerhaeuser plant because of his MS.
Doll said he has worked in manufacturing for 28 years, including a total of about nine years at Weyerhaeuser, from 2005 to 2010 and from 2013 to 2017.
Doll said he was diagnosed with MS in 2011. In 2013, Weyerhaeuser hired him to restart a mill in Castleberry. Doll said the mill increased its production over the next few years and was recognized for having a banner year in 2016.
Doll said he disclosed his MS diagnosis to the company in 2015 after a fall during a tour of a plant in McComb, Miss.
Doll said the company was initially willing to accommodate him but that willingness diminished until he was fired in November 2017.
"While I do not expect to get a straightforward, honest explanation, I do believe my termination was directly related to my limited mobility, the unwillingness of my supervisor to adjust his approach for me and very likely the cost of my treatment," Doll said, reading a prepared statement at the press conference.
Doll said it's difficult for people who lose their jobs because of a disability to fight back because legal actions are costly and have uncertain outcomes. He said he wanted to be a voice for others with similar situations.
"If this battle or battles like this do not occur, the plight of disabled people will not change," Doll said.
Nancy Thompson, director of government affairs for Weyerhaeuser, said the company does not make public comments about personnel decisions or potential legal matters.
McPhillips said even with federal laws intended to protect workers with disabilities, it's hard to obtain any relief through the court system in a reasonable time, partly because the companies that are defendants in the cases are able to slow down the process.
"It's very frustrating," McPhillips said. "It's a very uneven playing field."
McPhillips said he plans to talk to members of Congress and state legislators about possible changes to the law.