April 24th, 2012

Employers Gone Wild: Atlantic Auto Group controller gets new kidney, then bullies donor out of her job

Another shameless episode in the “I’m the boss and you aren’t” ethos. In 2009 Debbie Stevens, then a 45 y.o. divorced mother of 2, worked for the Atlantic Auto Group that owns several Long Island, NY car dealerships. She worked as a clerk in the West Islip office of an older woman controller, Jackie Brucia, 14 years older than Stevens.

Their relationship changed significantly when Stevens donated a kidney to specifically save Brucia’s life. Despite being the recipient of this altruistic act, Brucia bullied Stevens and the company fired her shortly after banishing her to an undesirable office far from her home. Talk about thankless! Stevens is now suing.

According to a NY Post account, Stevens worked for Brucia at billion-dollar AAG Jan. 2009-June 2010. Stevens moved out of state but returned in September 2010. At that time, she visited Brucia who told her about her need for a kidney transplant. Brucia’s plan was to have a family friend donate.

Stevens told Brucia that she would be willing to donate. Brucia acknowledged the offer with the statement, according to Stevens, “You never know, I may have to take you up on that offer one day.”

In November 2010, Stevens moved back to Long Island. Brucia got her a job with AAG within two weeks. In January 2011, Brucia told Stevens that her planned donor was not a match. Brucia asked if Stevens’ offer of a donated kidney was real. It was. Brucia’s “backup plan” became real.

Due to incompatibility, Stevens donated her kidney to the national pool (a St. Louis person was recipient) and Brucia got her kidney (from someone in San Francisco). Stop and think about this. A subordinate woman employee donated an organ to her woman boss. This was an act of pure altruism. Though we write often about the power of ingratiation (kissing up), the serious medical risks associated with invasive surgery preclude lumping kidney donation in with false compliments, cutting boss’ lawn, and doing menial tasks to satisfy the boss’ power needs.

After the August 2011 surgeries, both women were at home recuperating — one boss, one subordinate. Stevens, the organ donor, had post-surgical complications but felt compelled to return to work on Sept. 6. After trying to work for three days, she returned home sick.

Brucia, the organ recipient, still at home recuperating on Sept. 9 called Stevens at her home to berate her, “What are you doing? Why aren’t you at work? … You can’t come and go as you please. People are going to think you’re getting special treatment.” Brucia eventually did return to work only to torment Stevens in typical bullying style.

Stevens was denied overtime pay and demoted by banishment to a high-crime dealership 50 miles from her home that coworkers called “Siberia.” For a working mom, 100 miles of commute time means time away from her kids and incredible schedule juggling for doctors’ appointments and attendance at school events.

The effects on Stevens of Brucia’s bullying and subsequent AAG shenanigans caused her “mental anguish.” She sought help from a psychiatrist and lawyers. She was fired when AAG received a letter from one of those lawyers.

Now comes the lawsuit, filed first with the NY State Human Rights Commission, claiming discrimination.

Plaintiff Stevens claims that Brucia “used her power to manipulate me.” But she also said, “I have no regrets [that] I donated a kidney because it saved the life of a man in Missouri.” Stevens says her medical insurance will soon run out and that she may have a hard time finding another insurance company who will cover her since she has donated an organ.

Stevens is represented by lawyers: Lenard Leeds and Jason Barbara

The defendant employer AAG predicts that the case will be “resolved favorably in the legal system.”

Tell the “NY Auto Giant” AAG what you think of them and Jackie Brucia.

Tags: AAG, Atlantic Automotive Group, Debbie Stevens, Jackie Brucia, kidney, organ donor

This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 24th, 2012 at 11:15 am and is filed under Employer Action/Inaction, Social Justice. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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