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Has anyone been a "whisleblower"?

  • Thread starter swords
  • Start date
I've finally had it with my mother coming home and crying every night. There's so many illegal things going on at her job, not the least of which is the continuing harrassment of the older folks who are getting ready to retire. She's got another 3 years before she's 62 and can retire with her full pension & bennefits. The union there has aparently been bought off because they say "there's nothing we can do about it".

I guess I'm just curious if any of you have done this to a crooked company you worked for or for someone/some people who are afraid to do it for themselves. Everyone at that place seems scared to do it so I will, I have nothing but rage, no fear! I plan on contacting first the Dept of Labor & Industry Standards followed by the State's Attorney General's Office. Is there anyone else official I should contact?

Thanks for any info you can give me, I plan on making my initial phonecalls on Monday.
 
Just a thought.
If you call and something happens to the company, can it possible affect your moms pension & benefits?
 
Hi Josh

I have a similar situation with my wife coming home and telling me all about the cr@p that goes on in her office.
When I am in the middle of something like that I tend to lose my temper and explode, however when it's someone else I am much better at taking my time and thinking things through.

Not that you shouldn't trust your mother but I suggest you speak to a few other people there to get a bigger picture before taking any action.

My wife came home with a problem a few days ago and I actually wanted to go in and deck my wife's new "boss" (for lack of a better word) last week, but I told her to sleep on things and speak with him about her problem the next day. Turns out someone else had misunderstood his instructions, at least that was his story. Whatever the story really was he quickly fixed things without bloodshed - HIS bloodshed!

Your mother might be in a situation where she can't see the entire picture, or any one of a number of other things.
The more evidence you collect before blowing the whistle, and from sources independant of your mother, the more credibility you will have when reporting.
Think things through a little, make sure everything is correct and your reasons are legit, and you will have a better chance of success.

Cheers, Troy.
 
I work for SBC, and they are new here, having bought out Pacific Bell. It is like Hitler has come to California. Folks who talk about honesty and ethics in the business, and yet have no honesty, nor ethics. Seems that since the B. administration took hold of and ruined our freedoms, and murdered our Liberty, how could SBC do any less? I feel like a slave, and not an appreciated worker. Not that anyone cares.
 
What Troy said. You need to find someone to substantiate what may *seem* evident before acting in a way that might create more problems than are solved. Yes, it's a hard call.
I've been in situations where I knew company actions were a crime. I was compelled to accept bribes in a construction project that would allow workers to slip out for half days. I alerted the company to the fact, and was shortly thereafter laid off. The company was well aware of the bribe scenario and expected me to cooperate with the crime. That way, they were squeaky clean, but if caught it would be on my record. I did the right thing, but I paid for it, and in the end no one favored the right thing except for little old me - not the company, not the union and not the workers.

Attendant to this crime, I was also informed I would be expected to purchase a gram of coccaine per payday from the union steward whether I enjoyed the substance or not. I was never so happy to be laid off and freed from that cess pool. The fun postscript for the latter was my ex-wife was drafted for the Grand Jury that eventually convicted the union steward.

On my next job in a nursing home I watched helpless old friends abused by the administrations policies to the point where I did make a complaint to the powers that be. All it got me was unemployed, and those poor old folk then had one less friend on hand. Nothing else changed. Usually these issues are sewn up tight in case there is some complaint or action, and that's how the crimes are allowable to begin with.

Man, I feel for you - but your mom is a big girl and if she elects to play it her way and stick it out then all you can do is comfort her with your understanding and forbearance. No one should have to go through this sort of crap, but there are few white knights out there that will spring to your aid or pat your back for doing the right thing, sad to say.

Now the trick is to keep your good heart and good will in the face of the demon: then you really do win although it might not seem it.
 
if you are serious about taking on a company, pay close attention to what kind of stuff your local papers are writing about. the media can be your friend. my wife has taken on the local school board, the county hospital board and other similar groups and done a great deal at keeping them on the straight and narrow. while your mother may work for a private company, good reporters and investigators take on private companies all the time and do good. granted, depending on friendships and corrupt individuals you can still run into a brick wall but it doesnt hurt. in the end though i think its your mothers desition and not yours.
 
Get a good lawer, you will need one!
 
This reminds me of the Silkwood movie.
 
Swords,
As others have said, be certain you have your 'facts' straight. From what you are saying, your knowledge of these 'illegal' acts is at best 2nd hand (ie: you witnessed nothing and are relying on someone else's word). Depending on the severity of the 'illegal' acts, the gov't agencies may still decide to act but then again - they may want some real proof of these 'acts'. Many people get amnesia about what was said (your Mom included) and critical paperwork can easily disappear.

It sounds like your Mom is not willing to take any action but will your actions quickly point to your Mom as the source of info?
 
  • #10
Personally have great respect and admiration for whistleblowers. Those are the people that know right from wrong and will do the right thing and stand up for it. Unfortunately it is common for whistleblowers to pay the price...and some have even with their lives.

It takes a lot of guts and PREPARATION to do battle against the big boys. What was that fairly recent movie with Julia Roberts?...she was a lowly office worker in a law firm and she knew a company was deliberately dumping poison into the water system. She went after the company and won. True story too. But I think the success stories are few and far between. Big companies have big money and big lawyers.

If there is wrong-doing at your mom's company...I wish you all the luck in the world if you decide to do battle. But you do need the facts and your mom MIGHT lose her job.

That really sucks.
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  • #11
Here's a few examples from both my mother and her co-workers of things which have been happening. It's taken me a long time from wanting to just go there and go postal (I don't own guns so it'd never happen anyway) to actually wanting to turn them in "anonymously" to the apropriate people.

-Car broke down, call in for an emergency vacation day (it's allowed) boss writes the person up for an unexcused absence.

-Car broke down in a blizzard, call in for an emergency vacation day (it's allowed) boss writes the person up for an unexcused absence and tells the person they'd "better have a 4 wheel drive truck by monday". (diferent person than above)

-This company builds motors, one at a time, by one person, piece by piece, roughly 50 pieces in each motor, after building they must be tested, if they fail, they need to be repaired. The employees were told "there is 400 minutes in one shift, we expect 400 pieces from each person". They are rode and threatened with write ups and suspensions daily for not meeting such a rediculous quota. I should tell you the average is about 50 per day!

- The company no longer allows employees to bring in and use their own tools, they supply them. They gave one person a broken tool and then later gave him a warning letter (3 and you're out) for having a broken tool, which they gave him and said "this is all we have".

- They use a certain solvet for cleaning the parts, but they do not supply respirators or gloves for the employees who use it since it does not smell, but it does cause problems. One guy has been using it all day everyday for about 15 years and now he has some sort of neurological disorder where he can barely walk or write. When he told the doctor about the chemical he was using at work the doctor called the company to ask about it and get a sample of it. The company lied and said they haven't used that chemical in years and there's none in the building. My mom said it's still being used by the people doing whatever that job is.

- Machinists are told to run two machines when someone retires no replacements are hired, sometimes the machines are clear across the building (it's not a small place by any means). They are given warning letters and suspensions if the machines stop running or start producing bad parts while they are at the other machine.

- One person came back from the doctor with a note and they were given a warning letter and told it was an unexcused absence (they had made all the apropriate phone calls to let them know they were not going to be there).

-One person had back surgey ordered by their doctor and told if they didn't find a way to line it up on the weekend "there'll be he11 to pay".

this list goes on but who wants to hear it?

As far as I know, much of this is not only harassment but illegal to threaten people like this on a continuous basis all day long. I can't believe there aren't more heart attacks there (so far 3 employees have dropped dead this year from 1 heart attack, 1 stoke and an anuerism). It's in the past year that this all has started, she had a spotless recrd for 36 years until these guys took over.

Anyone wanna job?
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  • #12
This is a UNION job???  One would suspect the Union Steward to be on the company payroll if "nothing can be done".  Workers need to elect someone they can trust and also to consider the possibility of a strike since individual actions obviously will not suffice.  Looks like they are into riding workers out with their fake "write up's".  This is a horrible company.

OSHA has definite regulations concerning all hazardous chemicals in the workplace.  This might be a starting point if nothing else works.  They are a SERIOUS agency in these regards. http://www.osha.gov/html/oshdir.html

I suggest that all the conflicts be accurately recorded: dates and names in case a civil suit becomes a possibility.  MAybe you could get some advice from a competitor to this company who might be eager to drive a couple of nails into this companies coffin?
 
  • #14
Wow.  That's horrible.  
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If you are serious about this, you have a long row to hoe.  But it can be done.  That Julia Roberts movie was a true story.  It started out very similar to your situation.  You start hearing about all these things that aren't right.  What she did (the real person, not the actor) was to start gathering information.  She began documenting all the stories people had to tell.  She finally had SO much documented, it couldn't be ignored.

So I'd start getting affidavits from the workers.  You might find people reluctant because they will be afraid of losing their jobs.  That's always how it works...the employers have the upper hand because the workers MUST have a paycheck.  
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I think the solvent issue is the strongest point. Maybe someone can sneak a sample of it to you for testing?

I hope you can do this and get somewhere with it.

GO GET 'EM!!!
 
  • #15
Swords, My company is pretty much the same----now. SBC is ridiculous when it comes to this. Before we were bought out by them, this company was like a big happy family, and our work got done in droves. They came in, observed for a couple years, then set about fixing what wasn't broken. We just got word to forget the last couple of years of their Failed Experiment, and got the blame that it didn't work. Micro-managed into a corner, unable to have any say (we USED to), and run by incompetents. Yep! "Little Enron" has invaded us. The heads of most of these money grubbing companies are mostly Bush Lovers, as they know they do not care about the little guy, just their money. Safety is out the window, and I no longer love my job. A happy employee produces, while threatened employees, do not. Too bad they haven't the brain power to understand this.
 
  • #16
As I read it, the solvent is the most (only?) enforceable issue, but safety regulation is a spotty thing and almost nonexistent some places.  Years ago I got a call at work from a whistleblower whose company had survived the occasional announced inspection by re-routing their solvent system.  Most of the time they discharged directly to their sewer system, but moving one pipe allowed them to look like they were operating the required, but expensive to operate recovery/treatment system.  As you'd expect, they also cut every other corner too that would make more money for the owners.

I'm not with a hazardous waste program, but the whistleblower didn't want to talk with anyone else and I got all the information and even got him to describe all the questionable activities and where all the important things were and even to send sketches of the building layout.  This part's important - Everything someone sends to a regulatory agency and even the agency personnel's telephone notes are public records and available to anyone who requests them.  So a friend of his did all the writing and drawing so no one would recognize his handwriting.  I never asked his name and never wrote down his phone number, or I would've had to provide them to the company after the surprise inspection that was coordinated between several of our programs and also OSHA.

Because our inspectors knew exactly where to go, two of them were standing at an open doorway near the place a foreman ran to pull a pipe when a couple inspectors arrived in the front office.  The company was caught red-handed, but ended up with minimal penalties and having to face more than the usually lax oversight.  But the company's lawyer submitted document requests soon after the inspection and, since nothing identified the whistleblower, I don't think the company ever knew.

The moral of the story is that if you go forward with your plan, make sure nothing includes your name or phone number or even say your mother's been there x years or runs a particular machine.  The company will get them and might figure out the source of trouble.  Don't leave messages with your name and number - keep calling until you can talk with someone.  It's a noble thing you're doing but be careful so you don't jeopardize your mother's future by trying to save it.  If you can afford it, it would be worthwhile to talk with a labor attorney before doing anything.
 
  • #17
Nobody can believe this either, everyone I tell it to thinks I'm lying or at least stretching it a bit but I'm not. I wouldn't even pay attention if it was minor complaints. I come home yelling about my job sometimes but it's nothing but "bad day" things (broken machine etc) but nothing like the way this company treats their employees these days. I wouldn't put up with that sort of treatment for five minutes, within the hour I'd likely be arrested for assault!
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This company is in Minnesota but they have many plants mostly in the south (and now several shops going up in Hong Kong and Bangladesh). I don't have any problem with folks over there having work too but it was coordinated that the day before the latest contract meeting they had was to be shown a hour long video of the head of this company and their biggest clients (John Deere and Toro) chatting about how much money they could save if they moved their operations to the far east. I'm sure it's a good scare tactics to get these people to agree to  just about anything (a reduction in working benefits and no health coverage or pension upon retirement) and no raises for the next few years. Every few months we recieve a newsletter "xx nets 9.9 million in the summer quarter" so they aren't going broke. Just basically being nice enough to let you guys work here. About once a year the company has an ethics meeting, wherein the q & a portion employees who ask questions are told to "pipe down" or "shut up".

I keep urging my mom to just leave them and cash in the portion of the pension she has coming. As I say she's at retirement door now she will be old enough to retire after this new contract is up. She'd be getting about 2 paychecks worth and she could get a job anywhere til the social security kicks in, in a few years. Even my regular job has older women doing hand inserting of mailorder catalogs and charity newsletters. I don't get to do that job often being a machinist but it's great when I do. Just kick back in a cozy chair at a table with a few friends and chat and stuff mailers all night. Certainly not exciting but no one is having strokes from being hollered at all day.

Yes, the union at her job is rediculous "that's what's coming from company headquarters and it's out of our control". You know, my mom said everyone was saying how lame the union was and had no backbone, everyone said they were gonna vote in new people. And here it's all the same idiots as before, I don't wanna say it sounds rigged but it does. If the union has been bought off I suppose they could easily say so and so won and they really didn't and keep the madness going. But it's the older folks who are getting it most, the new hires are given far more leinency. The new hires will not be getting hardly any retirement benefits at all basically whatever you save is your retirement.

One plan I had (it's a crazy one - of course) was to get a job there (claiming no relation to that other person with the same last name) and then report them!
I suppose some lawyer would figure out a way to call that entrapment...
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Anyway, I don't want to do anything with courts, only to have the company be made to treat their workers fairly and decently (like humans). She always said it wan't an easy job but she did somehow find enjoyment in it. Now it's completely messed up.
 
  • #18
[b said:
Quote[/b] ]This company builds motors
Electric motors or engines? If they're engines there aint no way anyone can assemble 400 a day. What kind of drugs are the bosses on?
As for OSHA, I had a friend who used to work for Mccain Traffic Supply. They manufacture traffic signals, etc... Anyway, there was a slew of safety issues there, people getting hurt, dumping chemicals, etc...To make a long story short, someone called OSHA on them. It turns out that OSHA told the company that they were coming. The plant bosses made the workers fix everything real fast so that they looked squeaky clean. Of course the company passed the inspection, and as soon as the OSHA guys left everything was as it was before. If the OSHA guys want to catch the violators, why do they announce that they are coming???
[b said:
Quote[/b] ] being a machinist
You should know where the CNC in my username comes from
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I do CNC lathe work for a small aerospace shop in San Diego. I love my job, I love the company, these guys are great to work for. This job is the only thing keeping me here in S.D. I want to relocate to Michigan, but would be afraid that I would get a job like the one you describe. I seriosly do not think I would ever find a job like the one I have now
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  • #19
Yes, they're engine motors, hydraulic parts. She assembles something to do with steering.

Talking with her late into the night tonight (it's about 1 am and he's usually asleep by 7 or 8 pm) I think she's going to take my plan and bow out a couple years early. I moved back home and helped her pay off the mortgage so all that's really bills are the various utilities and monthly association dues. I help with that anyway so I think all should be well. I make a decent wage and have all sorts of other activities going which bring in some money (sculpting and freelance studio work downtown) so I don't think we'll be "penniless" as she is so fearful of. She tells me when I was a little kid we lived on $15 a week and she grew up even poorer than that so she's just afraid. I told her tonight that she supported me as a kid so there's no reason I can't do the same in return. I hope she really goes through with it, I want to see her happy once again, it seems like it's been so long.

...thanks for listening guys!
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  • #20
Awwww...that's really wonderful that you take such good care of your mom. I know she appreciates it and it must mean an awful lot to her.

In a world where you hear so much about crime and horrible events every day...its good to know there are still nice people with a heart out there.
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