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80-year-old: I was booted

By WAVENEY ANN MOORE
Published January 24, 2007

For about 14 years, Joseph Servedio worked as a bridge tender, raising and closing two Pinellas County bridges for passing boats.

Shortly after his 80th birthday in October, he was, he says, forced out of his job at the Indian Rocks Drawbridge.

"I'm so sick ... I wanted to keep my job. People think when you reach a certain age, you should give up and stay home and die," said Servedio, who lives in Seminole with his wife, Carol, 71. "I love working."

On Monday, Servedio learned that he is ineligible for unemployment.

"I am so hurt right now. I got a notice that I have quit for personal reasons. How can they lie that I quit because of personal reasons? Why would I be looking for a job? I want a job. Plus, I need the money."

Milton Hartman, vice president of C&S Maintenance Corp. in Gainesville, the company that hires people to work at Pinellas County bridges, disputes Servedio's account. He was not forced out, Hartman said.

"Absolutely not. He wanted to quit work. I don't know why. We had a retirement party for him. He wasn't forced out at all," Hartman said. "We have numerous people working for us in their 70s and 80s.

Servedio and his wife say there was no party. "Why wasn't I invited?" he joked. All he received was a card with signatures from a few coworkers, he said. His last day was Dec. 26.

Kay Reitz, project director for AARP Foundation in southern Pinellas County, which offers job training and placement for low-income people over 55, doesn't find it unusual that older people like the Servedios need to work. The number of older Americans with jobs is growing.

Her agency, though, rarely encounters problems with age discrimination, she said.

"People have the mistaken idea that they can't be fired. Employment is at will," she said. "However, it can't be for reasons of discrimination. The problem is that some people who reach an advanced age, they can't perform their jobs satisfactorily and they don't realize that."

Age discrimination does exist, she said, but it is hard to prove and usually occurs during an interview, when someone is passed over for a job.

Before he worked on the bridges, Servedio was employed by Pinellas County schools as a head plant operator for almost 20 years.

During a recent interview at his home, he gave Neighborhood Times a form dated Oct. 23, 2006, and signed by his supervisor, Judith Douglas.

It rated him "good" on a scale of good, fair and poor, for knowledge and ability. A note at the bottom said he missed one answer on the "retest" and that he had done an excellent job.

Servedio said he had to take the test a second time when he accidentally missed a sheet on the six-page test.

Servedio said that after his 80th birthday, his supervisor asked him repeatedly why he didn't retire. He said he was asked to submit a note from his doctor saying he was able to work. He did.

Servedio said he felt pressured to accept his supervisor's offer to work as an alternate, which meant he would fill in when others didn't show up.

The supervisor then said that no alternate work would be available. He tried to fight for his job, he said, and called Hartman numerous times to ask him to intervene.

Servedio said his job called for him to work from 5:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. When the job ended, he was working three days in a row and was off five days. He earned $8.50 an hour with no benefits.

He and his wife, who moved to Florida from Brooklyn about 35 years ago, have nine children, 18 grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren. They say they need the money. "We do have car payments to make and house payments to make," he said.

Servedio's wife said her husband has always been praised for his work: "Joe has been working since he was 9 years old. They had another man lined up for his job."

Fast Facts:

Seniors who can't afford to retire

The AARP Foundation says it is now easier for people over 55 to qualify for the AARP Senior Employment Program. Eligible job seekers work in a nonprofit or public service organization for 20 hours a week for $6.67 an hour while AARP Senior Employment works with them to find permanent part- or full-time employment. Call the AARP Senior Employment Program for information at (727) 547-0534.

[Last modified January 23, 2007, 22:14:11]