THIS Is harassment!!

Originally published 8/30/2013

I often compare many of the women Managers / Executives at Trimet to Stepford Wives.  Robots in dresses and high heels. 

The following e-mail are requests I made to our Garage Manager asking if I could work with a DIFFERENT Assistant Manager then the one I was assigned,  because of THIS. 

Click images for zoom

Not an unusual request. Operators have always been able to change Assistant Managers even though specific alphabetical assignments exist.  Everyone has a different style. We were always free to go to whomever was available or more comfortable with.  Evelyn Warren even acknowledged my request in e-mail above but then suddenly sicked Montoya on me.  

Ya only get ONE bite, then I'm done with ya! This one keeps on biting but she ain't goin' for the ankles.  

Because of on-going RETALIATION, SOME of it linked below, I'm being especially careful with my career and which Managers may be more willing then others to destroy it.

Peggy Callahan, Part III, Charged with insubordination, Trimet's attempt to silence this Blog, and disparaging treatment in the grievance process, etc., I refuse to respond to certain Managers / Ass't Managers without Union representation. And in particular (Montoya) because she deliberately lied in a Union Grievance process, in writing, (even with 3 supporting documents) then - to add insult to injury - she made fun of me and my disability by name calling. I don't trust her, I'm not comfortable with her! That should be all that needs to be said for change to occur but NOT AT TRIMET!

Last Wednesday I was in the corner of the bullpen cleaning my glasses when she suddenly came up behind me startling me, then quickly handed me something (it was more like she kinda shoved it at me) and ran off giggling.  It was something that coulda shoulda been placed in my company mail unless you're wanting to harass someone who you know has requested that you leave them alone. She and Evelyn have reached new levels of infancy. Evelyn, as a professional in her Managerial position should've respected my concerns about Montoya if even temporarily until my Union Rep returned and we were available to meet. She purposely invalidated what I experienced and how I was feeling about it. If you go to your boss and report abuse they have a moral and legal responsibility to do SOMETHING about it but NOT AT TRIMET!

THIS IS NOT WHAT SHE HANDED ME, THIS WAS IN MY COMPANY MAIL THAT NIGHT:

There was NO attachment.  She makes a point of stating that I have to "meet with HER" and "in MY office". The letter is mean spirited and devaluing.  It's one of THOSE THINGS THEY DO PURPOSELY TO TRY AND 'RATTLE YOUR CAGE', like Mark Poulson YELLING out in the bullpen during primetime, "YOU'RE ON ADMIT LEAVE!!!", when you really weren't. He made it up to get me rattled before being blindsided. In the letter above she uses the word "REVISED", wanting to make me think it's different and more devastating then the FIRST one.  The only difference is they got the data pack which I requested. THEN..., they make the meeting date further out thinking you'll have MORE TIME to dwell on it. And the best part is she actually COPIED it on to Bruce Hansen. Boy, thats really gonna get me jittery!  Lol. The point is THEY WANT YOU "jittery" by the time the meeting starts. OUR BUS, RAIL OR MAINTENANCE SAFETY SENSITIVE POSITIONS ARE NEVER A CONSIDERATION OR "CORE ISSUE" AS THESE ORDERS COME FROM THOSE WHO NO LONGER DRIVE OR NEVER HAVE. As I found out through THIS, they actually create teams of employees from all levels of the hierarchy starting with the Garage Manager going on up through various HR employees to Hayden Talbot, Director of Transportation. It's a team effort orchestrated to negatively attack an employee who for mostly personal reasons, Hayden feels shouldn't be sharing the same world as he let alone his workplace. 

If they behaved against subordinates like this at any other Public Agency or work environment they'd be looking for other work. Notice, she uses the phrase,  ..."maintaining the integrity of the agency."  I remember years ago when Management used 'formed' responses similar to this one but at one point realized how demeaning those letters were and stopped sending them out.

Evelyn Warren, Center Street Garage Manager

What pisses me off is that I'm a long time (nearing 21 years) employee. If I tell you, Ms. Warren that I'm NOT COMFORTABLE working with a Manager who (within just two months of employment at this Agency) is ALREADY using dishonest and harassing tactics against me, I EXPECT YOU to UNDERSTAND what I'm telling you and make OTHER ARRANGEMENTS for me!  WHAT I DON'T EXPECT (without you even giving me and my Union Rep time to meet) is your SUPPORT and ENCOURAGEMENT of Montoya's harassing tactics. Like me or not,  I EXPECT YOU TO TREAT ME AS PROFESSIONALLY and AS "HONORABLY"AS YOU WOULD EXPECT YOUR OWN CHILDREN TO TREAT OTHERS! THAT'S WHAT "maintaining the integrity of the agency." IS ABOUT!  From the INSIDE OUT, not the OUTSIDE in. 

My Union Rep hurriedly prepares her return to P-town for the big meeting with Montoya.

I'm generic in that I wear blue and proudly represent Trimet as a member of our Unionized workforce. I deserve the same as every other employee, Unionized or not. The lack of professional structured behaviors in our MANAGERIAL / EXECUTIVE class is insulting to the Agency as a whole!  As an employer you gotta figure out what your mission is and start from there. You cannot RULE through ABUSE if your mission is CUSTOMER SERVICE. The only way you can BENEFIT from EMPLOYEE MORAL is by treating your workers with DIGNITY. Managers who act out inappropriately against their employees are people who have little if any respect for themselves. They're BULLYS!  

The thing is, THIS IS MY CAREER. They can literally do anything, accuse me of anything, place anything in my files, use their positions of authority inappropriately as Peggy Callahan and Hayden Talbot do. In this instance, Evelyn and Lilia are not just Workplace Bully's but playground Bully's, the two lowest forms of adult abuse in the Workplace.  That's because they don't have a problem making fun of you behind your back, in writing and to your face.  

As a Feminist who fought for the Equal Rights Amendment years ago, I find the behavior of Trimet's Managerial and Executive class of women irresponsible and demeaning. These are supposed professionals holding positions of authority who have done nothing more than make a mockery out of everything we fought for. It's like all they know is how to beat subordinates down through abuse. "ME, ME, ME" instead of "US, WE and YOU" and our VISION. I have yet to hear anything about Trimet's VISION from anyone in charge of anything with the exception of our Training Department. I suspect the problem is within Trimet's hiring practices. They want robots, Stepford wives in 'those' positions, women who will respond to their needs without question!  

It appears there are very few women in positions of authority around here secure enough within themselves that they don't need to use degrading, dehumanizing tactics to lead, be heard and command respect.

AND Sisterhood.