Archive for the ‘Social Justice’ Category
Employers Gone Wild: Atlantic Auto Group controller gets new kidney, then bullies donor out of her job
Tuesday, April 24th, 2012
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.
Tags: AAG, Atlantic Automotive Group, Debbie Stevens, Jackie Brucia, kidney, organ donor
Posted in Employer Action/Inaction, Social Justice | No Archived Comments | Post A Comment (
The anti-anti-bullying people fueled by anti-gay fearmongerers
Monday, April 23rd, 2012
The People for the American Way have produced an extensive analysis of the groups fighting anti-bullying initiatives in schools and state laws to compel those initiatives. The PFAW shows how the zealots actually disagree that bullying exists and that it is negative.
This poisonous antediluvian mindset is not only at work in schools, it invaded the Illinois state legislation for the workplace in 2010. Beware of “Concerned Christians” and state “Family Associations.” Their hateful, pro-violence, anti-gay agenda is hidden behind the banner of persecuted Christians.
Could those who worry about the reputations of known adult bullies have a similar motivation? Or are they latent aggressors who root for the powerful to allow their power go unchallenged?
Tags: People for the American Way
Posted in Legislative Campaign, Social Justice | No Archived Comments | Post A Comment (
WBI: Guided by the bullied workplace target’s perspective
Thursday, April 19th, 2012
The Workplace Bullying Institute is approaching its 15th birthday. Too often we assume readers know everything about us. This can’t be true. So, we offer something for newbies who might not know that we are target-centric and indifferent toward bullies.
Tags: bullied targets, bully apologists, South Park, WBI
Posted in Bullying Tutorials, Social Justice | 4 Archived Comments | Post A Comment (
Workplace Bullying University: Training professionals for mastery
Wednesday, April 18th, 2012
Since 2008, WBI founders have periodically offered intensive, interactive, small-group training for mental health counselors, human resources professionals, attorneys, trainers and consultants. All have sought to either establish a new practice or expand an existing one to include a specialization in workplace bullying. It is a 3-day training called Workplace Bullying University. Sessions are held in Bellingham, Washington.
The next University is June 15-17 for general professional audiences.
Tags: attorneys, counselors, HR, training, WBI, Workplace Bullying University
Posted in Announcements, Social Justice, Unions | No Archived Comments | Post A Comment (
Employers Gone Wild: U.S. military banishes rape victims with damning psychiatric diagnoses
Wednesday, April 18th, 2012
Women in the American military are raped by fellow sailors and soldiers (still want to call them all “heroes”?). Despite the Defense Department’s “zero tolerance” policy, 3,191 sexual assaults were reported in 2011, the estimated actual number is 19,000. The crime of rape is bad enough, but the employer of these women, the U.S. Army, compounded problems for the brave women who reported it by ending their careers.
It seems the military psychologists and psychiatrists blame the women for their plight (as the Medical Corps has done to troops suffering from PTSD). They use the technique of deliberately mis-applying the psychiatric diagnosis of personality disorder to rape victims. This labels the women with a “pre-existing condition” because the diagnosis requires onset of conditions during adolescence. Being branded with a PD renders the women ineligible for post-discharge medical, military and education benefits.
It’s double jeopardy for the women — employer puts you in harm’s way, gets you raped, then the employer ends your employment while promoting rapists. Sound familiar? It’s the same paradigm experienced by bullied targets who lose their jobs.
Tags: Coast Guard, Marines, personality disorder, rape myth, rape victim, U.S. Army, U.S. Navy
Posted in Bullying Tutorials, Employer Action/Inaction, Social Justice | 5 Archived Comments | Post A Comment (
WBI Podcast 26: Stop Attacking Teachers!!
Tuesday, April 17th, 2012
Stop Bullying Teachers
Teachers, as public sector workers with pensions, are under attack in the U.S. The attacks need to stop for two reasons: (1) student bullying can never stop until the adult bullying stops, and (2) the best teachers inspired me to become a professor, they are among the most memorable people in our lives.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Tags: bullied targets, Louise Fischer, teachers
Posted in Employer Action/Inaction, Podcasts, Social Justice, Unions | 4 Archived Comments | Post A Comment (
Character assassination: Wave 2 for bullied workers & murder victims
Wednesday, March 28th, 2012
The second assassination wave. Bullied workers readily recognize it. They typically wait too long to ask for, hardly ever demanding, justice and humane treatment. The original campaign of interpersonal assault mounted against them, without an ounce of provocation, is wave number one. They hope against hope that time will lessen their burden (it does not) or that someone in authority will recognize the bully is undermining work itself (no one ever does) or that the aggressors will be struck by a thunderbolt of compassion and voluntarily change (they never do). So, when targets do finally complain, they are shocked to learn they are not believed!
Tags: character assassination, murder, Sanford, Trayvon Martin, Zimmerman
Posted in Employer Action/Inaction, Social Justice | 13 Archived Comments | Post A Comment (
Here’s the real reason you are being bullied …
Friday, March 16th, 2012
It’s been a relatively quiet week here at WBI. Dr. Namie is traveling and, aside from some activity in Canada, there’s not much media about workplace bullying. We couldn’t finish the week without reaching out to all of you, so I thought I would try to explain why you are being bullied.
Tags: Daniel, target, Workplace Bullying Institute
Posted in Social Justice | 23 Archived Comments | Post A Comment (
Employers Gone Wild: Bullying over Privacy & Healthcare
Wednesday, March 7th, 2012
Gimme yer Facebook password or you don’t get a job with us (or get yer job back after leave)! A Maryland state employee, Robert Collins, who works for Correctional Services returned from an approved family bereavement leave only to be told that his reinstatement depended on the surrender of his Facebook password, a new standard operating procedure. I’m not certain what people keep in their private FB accounts, but I guess it is way too much information to put in the hands of anyone who would like to fire you someday. WBI tech guru Dave tells me that passwords are akin to giving someone the keys to your house. The industry treats passwords ask keys. Apple refers to your stored passwords as a “keychain.”
The Maryland ACLU is taking Collins’ case because the MD state policy might violate federal law. The ACLU posted this tape of Collins describing his situation.
Tags: Blunt, Can They Do That, Lewis Maltby, Maryland ACLU, Robert Collins
Posted in Social Justice | 6 Archived Comments | Post A Comment (
Gone & Forgotten: Employees Who Commit Suicide Over Work
Wednesday, February 22nd, 2012
Institutions that created or allowed toxic work conditions to flourish out of sheer laziness (laissez-faire, indifferent, management) should be responsible for cleansing the destructive environment of perpetrators who are discovered to be responsible. In worst-case situations, conditions become intolerable for any human trying to hold onto a shred of personal dignity. Some workers take their lives, seeing no way out, typically after years of frustration by the disbelieving employer who accepts the perpetrators’ version of reality.
Posted in Social Justice | 8 Archived Comments | Post A Comment (
Loading ...
Follow us on...