Discrimination by district manager about driver's license

I began my job in April 2015 as a part-time sales associate. In September 2015 I was promoted by the store manager to a management position known as part-time Lead Sales Associate. At that time my district manager and assistant manager were against the promotion because I did not possess a valid driver's license. The store manager went to bat for me and I was promoted anyway. When this store manager was left go in November the district manager transferred in a second assistant manager from another store.
Our first assistant manager left our store and transferred to another store right before we got our new store manager in early 2016. Around this same time the district manager demoted the assistant manager that transferred into our store from another store to part-time Lead Sales Associate and promoted another person to the newly opened Assistant manager position.
Then In May of 2016 I expressed the fact that the new store manager was looking to hire someone to the full-time Lead Sales Associate position in which he began interviewing outside of the store. When I spoke to him about it the explanation of why I could not be promoted again was because I didn't possess a valid driver's license. There was a reason for this .... its not because I didn't want to drive ... it is because I had been in a lot of car accidents as a passenger in a vehicle and I had a fear that was very hard to overcome. When I realized what the district manager was trying to do I sucked up my fear and for the first time in my life started taking an online course to get my learner's license. I went and took the test and passed it June 6, 2016.
In August the district manager demoted the full-time Lead Sales Associate to part-time sales associate and promoted a cashier under me to the position. Now fast forward to November of 2016 we got another new store manager because the other one was transferring to a different store. Our then assistant manager at that time quit her job a couple days before thanksgiving with no notice under the new manager.
This month the district manager promoted one of our stock guys/sales associate (the same one he demoted in August) to the newly open assistant manager position whom also DOES NOT have a valid drivers license because his license is currently suspended. The person that was in the full-time Lead Sales Associate position was fired a few days before Christmas which means the position is open again. I asked the store manager about taking the position.
The district manager is now refusing to allow me to take the position because I only have a learner's license which even though I have to have someone in the vehicle with me that is a licensed driver is still a legal license as long as they are with me. On December 30, 2016 I went into work as scheduled and the store manager wanted to talk to me in the office. She told me that she is promoting a cashier/part-time sales associate to the full-time position. She stated that my position has become obsolete and that they only have the full-time position but that the district manager will not allow her to promote me for two reasons: (1) I only have a learner's license and (2) because I am planning on transferring back to my home state of Pennsylvania in about 3-4 months. Our store only calls for the store manager, assistant manager and (2) two full-time Lead Sales Associates but currently we only have the SM, ASM and my position which is LSA PT.
Therefore there is still an open position for the other full-time Lead Sales Associate. The district manager wants to hire an outside person for that position. He suggested demoting me to part-time sales associate but my store manager is refusing to demote me because she explained to the district manager that "I am one of her best employees and she doesn't want to lose me!" Let's add to the fact that the district manager knows I want to transfer home and he told me that in order for me to transfer in my position I will have to take the driver's part of my licensing because if corporate knew that he promoted me without a license he would be in trouble. I found out that not all stores require their Lead Sales Associates to possess a driver's license. It is at the discretion of each store manager. I feel that I am being discriminated against because of my driver's license issue and the fact that it has been said in the past that our district manager doesn't really like females in the management positions.

0 answers  |  asked Dec 31, 2016 08:56 AM [EST]  |  applies to Florida

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