Woman refused time off for kidney donation

WAYNESBORO, Tenn., June 10 (UPI) -- A Tennessee woman alleges her employer refused her time off from work to donate kidney to an ailing friend.

Pam Melson said her boss at the Tennessee Apparel factory in Waynseboro where she works refused to grant her time off for the potentially life-saving operation even as unpaid leave, The (Nashville) Tennessean reported Sunday.

"They said letting me off to get this surgery would be like someone getting let off for getting breast implants," Melson said. "I think what I'm trying to do is a little more important than getting breast implants."

Tennessee Apparel official Dave Roberts said the company was not attempting to dissuade Melson from the humanitarian effort, but that her job may be filled during her absence.

"If she decides to do that we'll give her every consideration to come back to work," Roberts said. "She would come back as a new employee."

Roberts told the newspaper Melson's situation does not meet state standards for approved time off and would not be covered under the U.S. Family and Medical Leave Act.