Complaint Review: Aerotek - Louisville Kentucky

Started work at Aerotek of Louisville for Flextronics USA 3 years ago, went into interview and thought this was the job I had been waiting for.

I started my first day for Steve Livingston, a black man in his late 40's, foul mouthed, kind of heavy man, very hard to deal with, BUT, over all he did his job, I actually liked him for the most part.

Within 48 hours he called me a ''c*nt'' I told him not to refer to me in that way, we had a heated exchange and he apologized promptly, after this, we formed a friendship, strangely enough. Almost 2 years later he was fired for ''sexual conduct in the workplace'', the man was black.  Aprox 8 months later the GM of verifone, also a black man, VERY proper and hardcore, hard to work with, but, got the job done and saved a  lot of jobs, was let go for the same reason.

2 days after he complained that the new ''process'' didn't work to Steve Cassidy is when he was let go for this. The women that worked there had sent HIM and 10 others nude pictures and he then removed her from that department and sent her to HP, where she left without notice one day and sued him, she was married and had been into thing's she shouldn't , he got blamed and removed, no clue why or how.

Now, in this time I had received 2 letters of recommendation for my willingness to work under extreme conditions. I was a level three tech and was constantly sent to ''clean units'' ''lay tape'' to get ready for the big wigs to come in. I received 3 promotions of which, never got a raise, they had me agree to stay with my original contract and make 10/hr regardless of promotions, I agreed as I loved my job!

I had my mind made up I would stay there, never had any write ups, all of my soups loved me and wanted me to work for them.

Here is where my trouble started, Neil Robinson.

I switched to morning shift, which, starts between 5:30-6:30 depending on whether or not we were in overtime. Neil is a white guy that dresses like a G, acts like a G so to speak, sorry but I don't know any other way to put it. He asked me after I started ''what did they have you doing on 2nd shift?'' To which I replied ''level three tech work'' He said, '' you won't be doing that here'' Now, mind you, the project leader had already told me I would be doing level 3 tech work, I put up a fight and told him to contact the PL and he caved, sent me to a bench ''minnie office'' to work, which I did for the rest of the time there.

Rumors started to float around about how they were going to have to lay people off soon, the building wasn't doing so good and our profits were nose diving.  I watched entire rows receive lay off after lay off, about 500 people got cut.  During that time a guy by the name of Chris mann, my 2nd shift sup, was promoted to project leader right under Steve Cassidy.

When the lay off got to me it stopped, 3 white coats *flex soups* came to me and told me due to my outstanding record they would be keeping me, along with the other 75 people that survived the 3rd round of layoff's in that department.


Neil was angry with this, he wanted the 2 black people that were his friends to stay and the very next day they got laid off, he came to me when I arrived at work and asked ''how did you do that?'' I said ''You mean, why didn't what you were trying to do work?'' he rolled his eyes at me and walked off, he had been trying to get rid of me by sticking me on clean duty for 2 months at a time and giving me out for special project ''laying tape'' so I would quit.

Now, Aerotek has their own office within the building, the same office Flextronics uses for their big people. A man, his name was ''Judd'' came to me and pulled me off to the side, he asked if I was ''first and last name'' I said yes, why? did I do something wrong?

He then replied and told me he was investigating Neil for racism and picking favorites, claiming Neil had gotten rid of people in the past and that he attempted to do the same with me because I was ''too white''    I told him I didn't want any part in it and gave good reviews to Neil, I didn't want to make trouble with him I explained.


Months went by and Aerotek came to me and said ''my name, your about to be laid off, were going to work with Chris and move you to HP, Neil is trying to put you on a list for the GM to order you laid off, we must move you or they will eventually get to you, will you agree to '' Lateral Transfer'' I agreed and so I was introduced to David Mills, an HP soup that had A LOT of clout in the building and from what I could tell could ''roll you'' with just a trip to the office.  If you were rolled you had it made, that met that you were more or less paid for the job you were doing and not under contract, your benefits went up.

The guy that left the job I took over was Aerotek, he put in his two weeks and David had him rolled so that when he left he would get a sev package, he then laid him off so it would ''give him a boost before he left, he done such a good job for me''

I noticed day after day, my old boss from Verifone, Neil kep coming down to the other side of the building, out of his department to have lunch with David Mills, many of my friends warned me that he had been gossiping about me in the smoke cage to David Mills, my new boss.


2 days later, David Mills came to me and said '' My name, anything you need, you let me know, I will get it done, you come highly recommended''   


He even showed me the three letters of recommendation I had on file, I asked him for copies of those and he refused, the office also refused.

1 week later, loving my job and everything was finally calming down, I had a job that I couldn't be rotated out of, a permanent place for me to work at day to day, I was happy.    I had over come so much and went through SO much bull that I don't even have the time or desire to type in here, a books worth.

My wife had a father dying of liver cancer, he had been admitted to the hospital and given 3 months to live, I went to David and told him, this is the only favor I will ever ask, I need you to put me on FLMA because my wife is in bad shape, her father is dying.  He said NO, I will not accept your FLMA, I cannot afford to lose you right now, come in late and work 5 hours instead of 8, I will cover you. 

For the next week I did this, STILL managed to make my goal, 15 unites a day, 3 over the agreed. He seemed happy. Neil, out of nowhere, came and asked me to go to lunch with him.

He said, how have you been, we had a talk, he said '' we got off on the wrong foot'' he threw evil grin at me and said '' You think your angry with me, wait until you see what happens next''

2 days later I came into work, my badge wouldn't work, security let me in, the guard said '' I don't know how they did this man, they didn't leave me papers for you or nothing, just this note''

The note read '' My name, this is Judd, I had to SUSPEND you, call me with any questions''

I called 15 times with no answer, once we got done with her father and he passed, I ended up on the phone with the unemployment office, talking to them about what had happened and ended up in a 3 way call with the ref, Aerotek, myself, they said I had only been there 3 months and that I had no history of recommendation or approval for coming in late, I had went against company policy and my contract.

We argued, I called them out and said I have bank statements to prove I was there 3 years, they went silent and the call ref for the unemployment office said that doesn't matter, you didn't have a valid reason for being late, appeal it again or go to court, this is over, I'm sorry.

I spent three years of my life there at that company, LOST pay, ended up fired when I was told I was ok.

Avoid Aerotek, spend your time with someone else, never contract to hire. Contract to hire is a nice way of saying they don't want you but they need you.  9 times out of ten it will never go anywhere and you will be left trying to feed a family on welfare.

2 months later, when I was selling everything I had, the cook that worked in the building showed up, him and me realized we knew each other and he told me '' Do you realize the same month they got rid of you, they got rid of 550+ employees''