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Blatant Transgender Discrimination by Schneider National, Inc. (WI, US)
April 27, 2002
On the afternoon of April 26, 2002, Melissa White, a preoperative transsexual,
received a phone call from Schneider National, Inc, a trucking company based out of
Green Bay, WI, saying that she was denied employment. Not only had White been denied
employment, but her roommate, Tiffany Gellerstedt, also a preoperative transsexual,
received the same news. Employment with Schneider was based on White and Gellerstedt
completing the proper training and meeting the Department of Transportation
(DOT) requirements.
Based on the pre-employment package sent to White and Gellerstedt from Schneider,
they had to pass their Commercial Driver's License (CDL) test before classes began.
However, to pass the test, they needed to purchase books then take the CDL test at a
cost out of pocket. For two weeks, White and Gellerstedt worked to meet all the
requirements, studying and not applying for any other jobs, since Schneider
tentatively employed them.
The problem began when Schneider required Gellerstedt to update her Social Security
card to match her driver license. Once this was done, they required a legal name
change and withdrew her application for employment until she had completed that. On
Thursday, April 25, 2002, White was told that the Department of Transportation would
not allow her to apply for a commercial truck driver's license because her birth
certificate and Illinois driver's license did not match. The concern was that
her sex was different. White had a legal name change in Georgia a year earlier, so
that was not a concern. Gellerstedt was processing a legal name change at a cost of
$350 in order to comply with Schneider's requirements, but they still denied her
employment.
There have been many transsexuals who have received truck driver's licenses from the
DOT before Sex Reassignment Surgery (SRS,) and others have kept their licenses while
transitioning on the job. After reading the Federal Motor Carrier Safety
Administration's web site at: http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov and the FMCSA handbook
completely, White and Gellerstedt found nothing that stated a person cannot receive
a truck driver's license if their birth certificate and state driver's license
sex do not match. The DOT does not discriminate against transsexuals, nor
have there been any incidents of them doing so in the past.
On top of the discriminating actions against White and Gellerstedt, Schneider
National, Inc. turned their names into the Illinois DMV for "falsifying their
Illinois driver's license." The State of Illinois has placed an internal stop
on their license until the two women can provide a letter of surgery completion.
Until then, they will not be able to obtain a driver's license or an official state
ID in Illinois, thus complicating their lives further. If either decide to move to
another state, they could conceivable be denied a driver's license in that state
until they clear up the issue in Illinois.
This action by Schneider has not only effected the daily lives of White and
Gellerstedt, but could have a profound effect on the hundreds of preoperative
transsexuals in the state of Illinois. According to White and Gellerstedt, the
Illinois DMV Fraud Division is currently reviewing their procedures regarding
preoperative transsexuals having their sex markers changed on driver's licenses and
could have a decision as soon as Monday, April 29, 2002.
Contact information for Schneider National, Inc. is:
Owner: Don Schneider
Toll Free Phone # at: 800-447-7433, ext 3900
Media Contact: Laura Jarosz
Phone: 920-592-5154
jaroszl@schneider.com
Address: Schneider National, Inc.
PO Box 2545
3101 S. Packerland Dr.
Green Bay, WI 54306-2545
SNI has 16,000 associate members and 14,000 drivers
Contact Melissa White and Tiffany Gellerstedt at:
atlgirl41@yahoo.com
