Thursday, April 25, 2013
TRIMET ATTEMPTS TO SILENCE ME, UPDATE***
SPEAK OUT
This blog is my VOICE and JOURNAL about Cyber Bully/Stalking and Workplace Bullying.
BLINDSIDED:
"When you are struck by surprise from an unexpected direction, you are blindsided, as if from your blind side."
"verb (blind-side) {trans.} Catch someone unprepared; attack from an unexpected position."
Trimet:
"Wadda we gonna do about her?"
"Oh yeah, that's the ticket!!!"
"Mildred, this is gonna be fun!!!"
If you're not familiar with this conversation, click the links at the bottom of the page.
April 16, 2013, Tuesday at 3:02pm
I was quite literally blind-sided last week as I made my way into the Bullpen. Ass't Manager Mark was waiting for me, with baited breath! He approached me with this overwhelming sense of urgency! I was less then a foot inside the door when he (LOUDLY) exclaimed, "YOU'RE ON ADMIT LEAVE!!!" Of course his intention was to make sure everyone heard him and turned to look. Me, "What for?" Mark, "I don't know!" So I'm following him to the Management offices asking if this is something that could lead to disclipine and he says, "Sandra (Union Rep) is waiting for you!" "Me, "WOW!!!" He explains that Trimet hired an "OUTSIDE DISINTERESTED THIRD PARTY", A LAWYER who's investigating my Blog. We asked for a few minutes then went in.
I IMMEDIATELY RECOGNIZED HER... from somewhere. I asked her where I've seen her? Yeah - she's been riding my Bus! She said that too, "Maybe on the bus?!!" wtf I've been doing this job for so long that after a while everyone starts to look alike unless they do something to call attention to themselves or they're a FREQUENT rider. She was frequent enough that I recognized her! 17 years ago after my lawsuit was filed and before they terminated me they hired a bunch 'a private investigators - former FBI agents who were friends with one of the in-house lawyers. They followed me - on and off the buses unbenounced to me. duh! Even helped themselves to a bag of garbage from the dumpster where I lived.
***UPDATE, We met with the lawyer today (5/1/13). She said she wasn't aware I was 'blind-sided' into the meeting last week. She said Trimet assured her they were following proper procedure. Seems odd that they'd make a statement like that.
So she says she's working FOR trimet and this is her FIRST CASE. (what was that Mark said about an "OUTSIDE DISINTEREST THIRD PARTY"?!!) First case huh? So, I'm pretty much flushed down the toilet before she asks her first question. She says, "Peggy Callahan wrote you up for "RETALIATION". She tells us 'Retaliation' is very serious when the charge is from one of their own.
She brought a few pages and a list of questions. Started by asking about the Blog. I asked which one as I have several and she said, "Rantings of...." She didn't even know... My PTSD kicked in. There's a fight or flight thing that starts happening and I couldn't focus on her questions. She's asking me stuff and I didn't know this was going to happen today. I thought I was gonna drive a Bus. So she gets pissed. Her face is beat red and her hands start shaking... she kept asking the same questions re-phrasing them. Finally, she agreed to stop and make an appointment.
So Sandra and I go out front and Mark appears. He says I can finish my run. Me, "I thought you said I was on Administrative leave." Mark, "Oh, that was an error." WOW! Then he asks if I want to finish my run or go home. I said go home. He said he'd give me a tda which is time off without pay and without time-loss. Sandra objects and wants me paid. He asks Evelyn, then comes back and says "sick time" IN OTHER WORDS - timeloss - which you can get terminated for. They created a situation where I am no longer "fit" to Operate a bus. I told him my disability so they could accomodate it but he BELLOWS out again in the bullpen, "I DON'T WANT TO KNOW YOUR DIAGNOSIS!" He then shares with us what he knows about PTSD from being in the Coast Guard.
If I'm doing my job as I'm supposed to, then the very nature of it in and of itself forces me to FOCUS. But if something disrupts that process I can't do the job, safely. FOCUS FOCUS FOCUS. It's Mindfulness! Trimet has yet to acknowledge this aspect of SAFETY. They seem oblivious to that side of the issue. It's cause and effect. If you want me to drive SAFELY then don't create a situation BEFORE HAND which effects my abilities on the road. It's not just for my benefit but everyone else in town who happens to be sharing the road with Trimet Buses.
WOULD YOU FEEL SAFE SHARING THE ROAD WITH A 20 TON BUS IF YOU KNEW A MANAGER MAY HAVE FORCED AN OPERATOR TO DRIVE BECAUSE THE MANAGER WAS EITHER RETALIATING OR JUST DOESN'T "CARE ABOUT SAFETY"? These days, we have Managers who've never driven buses. Although I will give credit to Mark that day because he did understand the safety side, it's just that his hands were tied.
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!
If you wanna talk about my blog then talk to me. If your lawyer wants to investigate, investigate but don't say you're gonna or you did and then I find out you didn't and I end up getting reprimands and threats of termination for something that wasn't done and isn't true. I don't have a problem answering your lawyers questions, but she'll need to do it with integrity and professionalism - not the way she went about it last week or she's gonna end up with an ETHICS COMPLAINT. If you don't like my exposing your bullying intimidating behavior against me on this blog then don't be dishonest with me.I'm approachable but I don't take abuse and neither do I go for all this sneakery and lying. You're supposed to be professionals. COMMUNICATION IS EVERYTHING, but when I'm having a conversation with an Executive of this agency I'd like to think it was 'adult-like', on BOTH sides! When you try to BLIND SIDE me, like orchestrating that farce last week with the lawyer, Mark, Evelyn and probably a few MORE, it makes you look really, really bad! I've tried to communicate with you honestly and openly but you refuse to accept my presence as an employee of this agency. I've written you without a response. I've called and was beaten up over the phone, "NOW ELLEN, NOW YOU KNOW BETTER THEN THAT, NOW ELLEN NOW ELLEN! I tried to comply but you ignore my requests for information like, 'what did I do to deserve the reprimands?'. You gave them to me unsubstantiated and uninvestigated then you lied to BOLI, still trying to keep your secrets secret.
Years ago when Clyde Earl was the Director Of Transportation he said to me, "This is my building, my agency! You don't have Freedom of Speech here. I will tell you what you can think, feel and say!" His legacy lives on through those same principles, through those who remain.
In the culture of a hierarchy there exists a benevolent love where there is a value in every person, a commitment to other's perceptions. But not at Trimet!
Terminate me and I will win my job back.
Make false accusations against me and I will prove you wrong.
Burn my house down and I will build another.
Hurt me and my family will live comfortably forever thereafter.
I WILL NOT STOP WRITING UNTIL I SEE CHANGE!
PEGGY CALLAHAN - dba - TRIMET, PART ONE
PEGGY CALLAHAN - WORKPLACE BULLY, PART TWO
PEGGY CALLAHAN - WORKPLACE BULLY, PART THREE
HAYDEN TALBOT - WORKPLACE BULLY, PART FOUR
NEIL MCFARLANE, WORKPLACE BULLY, PART FIVE
YOU BE THE JUDGE, PART SIX
PEGGY CALLAHAN - WORKPLACE BULLY, REMEMBER THIS? (PART SEVEN)
ACCUSATIONS, PART EIGHT
YOU BE THE JUDGE, PART NINE
FIRST AND FORMOST, WE ALL NEED TO REMEMBER TRIMET IS A PUBLICLY OWNED / FUNDED AGENCY. AS IT EXISTS TODAY, TIMET AND IT'S BOARD OF DIRECTORS CONTINUE TO LIVE AND BREATHE WITHOUT TRANSPARENCY AND PUBLIC ACCOUNTABILITY, EVEN TO OTHER GOVERNING AGENCIES AND THEIR UNIONIZED EMPLOYEES.
