Terry P. from Buffalo, NY

"I was going through a local employment agency called Aerotech and was told there was a job they could refer me to in Williamsville in a call center-like atmosphere. I was told that I would be able to get there by bus, and then I was asked how long I've been unemployed. When I said a year, the agency person told me that the employer would not consider anyone with a gap of employment longer than 3 months.  I said, incredulously, to her: Isn't the goal of hiring people to STOP them from being unemployed? I was frustrated, embarassed and angry because I would be employed if that Williamsville site had been willing to hire me despite my long term unemployment. This should be prohibited by FEDERAL law because this has been a painful episode in the lives of millions of Americans."