A help wanted sign in front of a Bloomfield business that listed a job that only men could apply for led to several complaints online Monday before it was taken down by management.

The sign at NY Gyro King on Bloomfield Avenue went up Saturday night and listed a part-time job on the morning shift. At the bottom of the sign it said "males only," which led to over 270 comments on the Citizens of Bloomfield Facebook group.

"A sign like that is disheartening to a young female looking for work, or even a single mother trying to do the proper thing and work and not live off subsidies," said Joseph Pezzano, who first shared a photo of the sign to the Facebook group.

Amir Ahmad, one of the managers of the Middle Eastern restaurant, said they wrote the sign because the job requires lifting heavy boxes and unloading deliveries.

"We have nothing against ladies," Ahmad said. "We're not sexist or anything like that."

An employee quit suddenly Saturday and Ahmad said he put the sign up that night. When a reporter called Monday to question the sign, he said he took it down and replaced it with a version that does not include the "males only" line.

"I was in a rush to find somebody fast," he said. "We didn't mean nothing in a bad way. To be honest i didn't really think about it."

Ahmad, whose family runs Gyro King since it opened three years ago, said no one but the reporter called to complain.

Several people commented on Pezzano's Facebook post that the gender restriction could have been based on religion but Ahmad said it was only about the physically demanding nature of the job. He said one woman did come to the store interested in the job and that he would consider a woman, but no one had been hired as of Monday evening.

A message left for the New Jersey Department of Labor seeking clarification on the legality of such a hiring practice was not returned Monday. The New Jersey Law Against Discrimination states, "It is unlawful for any employer or labor organization to discriminate against an employee or applicant based on gender identity

or gender expression."

The shift runs from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday to Saturday. Ahmad said the work includes unloading deliveries including their biggest of the week Monday morning. He said some of the boxes weigh up to 40 pounds.

Some people who saw the sign condemned the hiring practice.

"This is USA not Saudi Arabia," one person wrote on Facebook. "I love their food but after seeing this I’m not going there again."

Others defended the business and its right to hire how they want.

Pezzano said he raised his daughter to believe she can do anything, and seeing that sign didn't help the message. However, he saw the discussion it generated and viewed it as a possible learning experience.

"This is how we learn," he said. "Words are a powerful tool."

Email: jongsma@northjersey.com

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