A real world reminder: Why we Are The Party of Human Rights and ethic

[bluedawg12]

In case some of us ever feel the temptation of shedding our socially progressive liberal values and dumping any or all aspects of the human rights platform here is a cautionary tale taken from real life.

As part of my work I have to review some records. Some of those records involve the personnel files of a middle aged white male living in a red state. My state.

As I read the comments about this “so-called-man” I encounter hand written notes from fellow employees distraught by his behavior. The complaints span the years from 1999 to 2003. The work setting is a blue collar factory.

This troubled man, according to the records, sought out and provoked his co-workers .

One woman was repeatedly accosted and called a dyke, a lesbian.

One man was called a c*ck s*cker, a homosexual.

When black employees were hired he made comments about his KKK affiliations and said things like, “ it’s getting dark in here,” referring to his African American co-workers.

He spoke about his guns and implied a potential for violence on his part.

He didn’t just speak to co-workers, he sought them out aggressively, baited them, stood over their desks, and created a humiliating and hostile ugly work environment.

His co-workers in this blue collar labor setting did not have the luxury to quit and go work elsewhere as bleedingheartradicalrightwingers suggest they should.

The conserva-pig argument that harassment is no big deal is so full of crap that it is not even funny. These thin skinned power elite want to be curtsied to and expect deference from others, but are too stingy, jaded, and selfish to ever accord government protection to American workers , they scoff at EEO and work place laws.

As I read these records I am nauseated that we live in an environment that is so permissive about human rights violations that baiting people about their private sex lives ( true, not true, doesn’t matter, can’t tell, but talk about sex at work is out of place) is considered an acceptable from of interaction according to conserva-pigs who resent government rules about such matters.

So focused on private sexuality between consenting adults and so dumb on the subject of victims of sexual crimes and harassment, yet so hypocritical when it come to real compassion and genuine respect for human life. Do you think any of the media hounds outside terry s’s nursing home would have lifted a finger, a Bible, or a rosary bead to ever come to the aid of working men and women subjected to such treatment? Nope.

Lest we forget, human rights issues, hate speech, hostility and sexual harassment in the working environment are un- American as they impede workers from earning their daily bread.

Lest we forget- we are the party of human rights and those rights are of genuine importance to working people and worth fighting for.

[TallahasseeGrannie]

1. This guy would be GONE

from my workplace. We get new memos on sexual harassment weekly. It has expanded from just sexual to include political and religious as well.

I solve it all by eating lunch at my desk!

[ashling]

2. Thanks for posting that

:)

[IndianaGreen]

3. Democrats voted for DOMA, and Clinton signed it into law

Don't speak to me about human rights while denying full equality to GLBTs.

I still remember all the Democratic apparatchiks running away from GLBTs during the 2004 Campaign.

[Nimrod2005]

4. And it will happen again

I think the message has already been framed to destroy any politician who gets near it....Give it 25 more years.

[bluedawg12]

5. People need to understand how ugly hate speech is

how dehumanizing. it's not just an inconvenience.

not sure why this pig hadn't been fired.

sad to see co-workers begging managment just to keep this psycho away from them, note after note, year after year.

[IndianaGreen]

7. Federal law protects harassment based on sexual-orientation

and the Democratic Party must take stand for including sexual orientation and gender identity as a protected class, much as sex and race are today.

Here is the shameful Hamner v. Saint Vincent Hospital case:

Gary Hamner is a male nurse and a homosexual who
began working for St. Vincent Hospital in 1993.
In 1995, he became the charge nurse of a unit in
the St. Vincent Stress Center where he supervised
the staff, including nurses, clinicians and
technicians, and communicated with physicians to
coordinate patient care. Hamner's direct
supervisor was Marilyn Knoy, a Nursing Manager,
and Knoy's supervisor was Dr. Joseph Edwards, the
Medical Director of the same unit in the Stress
Center.

Because they worked in the same unit, Hamner and
Edwards had to communicate with each other to
provide patient care. According to Hamner, he and
Edwards had a poor working relationship. Edwards
would refuse to acknowledge or communicate with
Hamner, screamed at him during telephone
conversations, and harassed him by lisping at
him, flipping his wrists, and making jokes about
homosexuals.

On September 26, 1996, Hamner filed a written
grievance with the hospital about Edwards's
harassment. The parties dispute the basis of
Hamner's grievance, a copy of which is not in the
record. According to Hamner, he complained that
Edwards was harassing him because of his sex and
sexual orientation. The hospital alleges,
however, that Hamner's grievance was based only
on his belief that Edwards harassed him because
of his homosexuality. Shortly after Hamner filed
his grievance, Dr. Paul Lefkovitz, the Executive
Director of the Stress Center (and Edwards's
supervisor), investigated the grievance. After
concluding his investigation, Lefkovitz sent
Hamner a letter on October 15, 1996, stating that
he talked with Edwards about Hamner's complaints
about Edwards's "homophobia," and that Edwards
acknowledged his "irreverent" humor and that he
would be more mindful of Hamner's concerns in the
future.

Subsequently, the hospital fired Hamner on
October 18, 1996.

<snip>

On further direct examination, however, Hamner's
testimony was consistent in demonstrating that
his complaint was based only on Edwards's
harassment directed at Hamner's sexual
orientation:

Q Can you elaborate on the sexual innuendos,
please?

A When I worked on the unit I think that we had
talked, and several times about Dr. Edwards
having a real problem with homosexuals. It had
been explained to me by Marilyn and other
employees that had been there for a long time
that Joe just didn't like gay people and that he
would not ever treat me any differently. When I
would be in the unit he would be--come on the
unit, be talking to nurses, and I would find that
he was making little gay jokes, flipping a wrist,
lisping, just little annoying things that,
finally, I just couldn't tolerate it.

Q Is that why you filed the written complaint?

A That was why I filed the complaint.

http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/cgi-bin/getcase.pl?court=7th&navby=case&no=993086

[undergroundpanther]

6. The republican party

is the BULLY party
That pig employee is a BULLY And bullies need to be kept on LEASHES lest they violate human rights. Bullies cannot live and let live,so they are the ones who need to be controlled limited and shamed,locked up ,restrained and told to sit down ,shut up or else. They NEED the school of hard knocks applied to them personally.Not to teach them a lesson but to keep them from hurting others!If we as a society do not do ACTIONS aimed directly at controlling problem personalities or bullies we peaceful live and let live people will become the victims of bullies. Bullies are not like us they do not have a conscience gets right from wrong. Bullies will pretend to have one when caught however so they can keep bullying and get away with it..

Read and learn This bully is causing psychiatric injuries to coworkers,
Crack his sorry ass and all people like him who show the bully pattern.
It really cokes down to conscience

http://www.bullyonline.org/

[KnowerOfLogic]

8. Repukes want to eliminate anyone who isn't a member of their klan;

depending on what state you're in and what type of workplace it is, it could very well be that the majority of workers there are in complete agreement with the sentiments expressed by this guy.

[bluedawg12]

10. Blaming the victim is a common tactic

as is, showing lack of support and offering a cold shoulder- or being "put out" by your complaint.

In the St. Vincent Hospital matter, the male nurse could have written a letter of complaint regarding the unprofessional conduct of the pig-a-doc to the State Department of Professional Regulation and also to the Attorney General, and the AMA, if the pig in question was a member.

Hell, even write the pig-a-docs malpractice carrier.

That's why I say: get an attorney and get one early.

[bluedawg12]

9. Are you sure about federal protection?

I'll reply to two threads- the St. vincent Hospital story is all the worse because it is named after a X-tian Saint and it involves ignorance and complicity on the part of health care workers.

The Bully issue is correct- if they smell blood they just get frenzied and attack on weakness.

This is where some good attorneys would come in handy suing the living sh*t out of these employers.

In the case I reading the employer sought to blame the victim- well, she has a temper, but is working on it.

Who wouldn't have a temper being stalked?

I say, on a practical note, if this ever happens to anyone keep calm, complain in measured words asking for the harassment stop, put everything in writing as far as complaints to create a paper trail, take careful notes, and get a GLBT attorney.