WORKPLACE BULLYING – Page 2 – When The Abuser Goes To Work…

A Loophole In Biden’s Workplace Bullying Policy?

(Note: Dr. Lander resigned a few hours after this story was posted on Feb. 7, 2022)

After a two-month investigation, the White House has determined that Pres. Joe Biden’s top science advisor, Dr. Eric Lander, bullied and demeaned subordinates in violation of the White House’s workplace bullying policy.

As a result, Dr. Lander, a Cabinet member and director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), was counseled while the main object of his derision, his then-general counsel, Rachel Wallace, was transferred to a different job.

Wait a minute… Dr. Lander kept his job and Wallace, a target of his bullying, was reassigned? Some would consider a reassignment under these circumstances to be a penalty that will discourage other complainants from stepping forward.

When Biden took office, he famously said he expected “honesty and decency” from workers in his administration and would fire anyone who shows disrespect to others “on the spot.” But not Dr. Lander, who has worked on the Biden administration’s pandemic response.

Biden’s policy apparently includes a loophole for important people like Dr. Lander.

Appeals Ct: NV Officials On The Hook For Failing To Investigate Worker’s Complaint

The U.S. District Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has ruled that four Nevada officials can be sued for allegedly scuttling an investigation into a retaliation complaint filed by a whistleblower who worked at Ear Nose and Throat Associates (ENTA) in Las Vegas, NV.

Helen Armstrong, a human resources supervisor at ENTA, reported the health and safety violations at ENTA in 2014 to the Nevada Occupational Safety and Health Administration (NOSHA), a state agency, when ENTA failed to take action. She alleged, among other things, the practice reused contaminated syringes and sold expired prescriptions.

NOSHA investigated and issued ENTA a fine.

ENTA allegedly immediately began retaliating against Armstrong, who had worked there for 23 years, and eventually fired her in 2016.

In an important ruling, a three-judge panel of the U.S. District Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, based in San Francisco, has ruled that “at will” employees like Armstrong have a limited property interest in their job and can’t be fired for a “prohibited reason” like reporting health and safety violations to NOSHA.

Did ‘Advocates’ Who Filmed Sen. Sinema In A Bathroom Violate The Law?

There is no justification for the extreme harassment of U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-AZ, on the grounds of “advocacy” by the immigration group, Living United for Change in Arizona (LUCHA).

Several LUCHA “advocates” (including at least one male) recently followed Sinema into a restroom at Arizona State University, where she teaches.

The group filmed Sinema entering a bathroom stall, the closed door of Sinema’s bathroom stall, her exit and washing up. Then LUCHA published the video on social media for all to see.

LUCHA’s actions far exceed the acceptable bounds of advocacy and cross the line into thuggery and even criminality. Additionally, there is a question about whether LUCHA, a tax exempt 501(c)(4) organization, put its tax exempt status into jeopardy.

Democratic President Joe Biden sloughed off the incident, claiming “it happens to everybody.”

The LUCHA advocates beseeched Sinema to pass a law guaranteeing illegal immigrants have a pathway to citizenship and criticized her for her opposition to Pres. Joe Biden’s $7 trillion COVID relief and infrastructure bill.

in Arizona, it is illegal to surreptitiously film a person in a bathroom for non-security reasons because the law presumes everyone has a “reasonable expectation of privacy” in a bathroom. It is also illegal to publish the videotape or film of someone using a bathroom.

When Married Women Bully Single Women

When I read a letter to the editor signed “Mrs. John Doe” or “J’s wife”, I feel irritation.

This is a mild form of “women-to -women” violence that often is overlooked and underappreciated.

As a woman from the generation that fought for civil rights for women, I recognize the patriarchal symbolism of “Mrs.” as opposed to the gender neutral “Ms.”

Women who identify publicly as an appendage of a spouse, knowingly or not, display an historic form of gender superiority. They tell the world they have worth because they are not a “spinster” or “old maid.” Their message subtly stigmatizes single women.

A recent study in China found “extensive evidence” of women-to-women violence, primarily psychological, targeting urban unmarried women over the age of 30.

“Notably, most of the direct perpetrators of violent acts against single women are married women, who are seen to accept and defend the patriarchal society and value system to viilfy the existence of single women,” writes author Shaoefen Tang.

Will Bullying Corporations Discourage States From Passing Voter Integrity Bills?

photo of person dropping a vote — Photo by Sora Shimazaki on Pexels.com

If you can’t get the state legislature to do what you want, bully corporations that are critical to the state’s economy into advocating your position.

A group of 72 black executives, including some Fortune 500 business leaders, appear to be using this strategy to either force Georgia to repeal Georgia SB 202, an election integrity law, or to scare other states into not passing similar measures.

In a letter this week, they called the Georgia bill an effort to suppress minority voting and urged corporations to oppose the measure. And they are.

Ed Bastian, president of Delta Air Lines, a Georgia-based company and the state’s largest employer, said Wednesday “the bill includes provisions that will make it harder for many underrepresented voters, particularly Black voters, to exercise their constitutional right to elect their representatives. That is wrong.”

The bill, signed into law by GOP Gov. Brian Kemp last month, requires all voters to provide a driver’s license or a free state ID card number to request and submit an absentee ballot. Every voter already must present some form of photo ID to vote in person.

The bill also makes it a misdemeanor for individuals to give gifts or “food and drink” to voters who are waiting in line to vote. (Poll workers can still provide water.) And it restricts the number and placement of ballot drop-off boxes to insure ballot security.

Poll: Most Blacks Support Voter ID

The issue is anything but clear cut.

For one thing, a recent poll shows that most Americans – including most black Americans – support voter identification.