Some months ago, my supervisor received an anonymous letter, alleging that I was "blogging" on the clock. After an evaluation of the site, my supervisor dismissed the allegation. I immediately thought it must be Pat Shields, since he just called me at work, on a brand new telephone with a brand new telephone number, in a brand new building looking for Jim Young.This evening, I got back to the blog cave and ran a report on IP hits for today. Low and behold, I found an entry from an IP address at the City of Seattle. I also found that this person from the City traveled to esd15.org by way of Google. This person also logged on at 12:29 PM from a computer in the City of Seattle's Department of Transportation. Perhaps Jim Young, the State and Federal Funds Coordinator. But then my eyes fell upon the name Susan Paine, also an employee of the City of Seattle, in the Department of Transportation and a member of the Edmonds School Board.
Sure, it may have been a lunch break, but is that an appropriate use of public resources? Surfing the internet and reading blogs on the taxpayer's dime? Maybe an anonymous letter is needed.
Now I am wondering if the anonymous letter addressed to my supervisor and postmarked in Seattle, was mailed from the Seattle Municipal Tower or perhaps across the street at the Columbia Center. I have six postcards and a one hour lunch break on Wednesday. I will let you know if I get a match.
Isn't this fun?
15 comments:
You, sir, are a freaking genius. And I like your style!
.....and I "second" that statement!
The Weblog has certainly got the attention of certain Board members, perhaps all of them.
Perhaps you could get a job with the attorney general's office. Then you could have the credentials to do some real digging and reveal the dirtiest of the dirt on these folks.
So that's what gets their attention. Prior to the public forum last spring regarding the job opening of asst. super. for teaching and learning, 3-page letters were placed in each Board member's mail box outlining our treatment by District administrators. There was no response from any of them, other than the letter from Ken Limon two months later indicating that our communications with the District "has become increasingly aggressive" to justify the no trespass order he signed against us. We are sure that's just what Nixon was thinking about the Washington Post reporters, Woodward and Bernstein.
Chris Reuther
Working for the Attorney General would only push me over the edge. I am disgusted by what I witness without access or authority.
If I had such access for an afternoon, no doubt I would be booking a flight back to Africa. At least there, people are still a little sloppy at covering their tracks and crooked politicians live with a heightened possibility of mob justice.
That won't happen here any day soon.
A no trespass order? That's unique. I wonder what action will be coming my way?
Gee, wouldn't that make for an interesting news story?
Custodians have been dumping their home garbage at schools they work at or retired from for years. Saves them money having to pay to have it picked up.
Yes, and the interesting thing about a no trespass order is that there is NO JUDICIAL review possible. You just fill out a form, sign your name, and NO ONE can challenge it. Apparently you can file one against someone without explaining the reasons to anyone. A police officer who discussed the warrent was amazed by our story. "Don't you guys have a union? The city has rules against that kind of behavior. If I did that to anyone, I'd be fired!" But he doesn't work on the same planet that we did; he has a reasonable employer.
Chris Reuther
A union! we have SEIU 925 the districts union. Look just went down last month. A union president from seiu 925 got a job in management "NICE" Can you say thank you for your hard work ex-union president something smells here! thanks for the help SEIU. This union needs to go! Its a joke!
Yeah, the several unions "serving" Edmonds SD are doing just that. They don't seem to be willing or able to stand up for their members who are paying for the service. I'm union my whole life and I've never run into such whimps. "Pathetic" doesn't begin to describe the job they do.
You people complain about your unions, and yet nothing changes. Alot of people are complaining about S.E.I.U. Local 925 in particular. Still nothing changes. I agree totally with the complaints, 925 is a large, self serving local that does little to serve it's members. The reps find it easier to sleep with the enemy than work with for their members. Damn, I'm good at this complaining thing!
Until you get involved, work for change in the local, inspire others to get involved, make noise, complain to the right people in charge of the local, go to meetings and complain, go to meetings and vote for change, until you start doing these things, nothing changes.
Hell with all that, complaining is alot easier!
I was a building rep for several years. It wasn't until very late in the process that I figured out that the union leadership wasn't interested in protecting their members from the bullying that I was describing to them.
Two incidents: 1) I was told by union officials that nothing would be done about the bullying I was reporting because I was the only one complaining. (A lie: others had complained the previous year and were ignored.) This is dispite the fact that, as the building rep, people came to me and told me what they were witnessing and experiencing but were AFRAID FOR THEIR JOBS IF THEY COMPLAINED. I was carrying the water for at least four other faculty members who were feeling bullied. In other words, I WAS DOING MY JOB AS I UNDERSTOOD IT-TO BE A LIASON BETWEEN THE UNION BRASS AND THE MEMBERS OF THE UNION. I was told that "they have to come forward." I responded that "In that case, the bullying is working perfectly!"
2) I was told that the union couldn't grieve the bullying because there is nothing in the union contract against bullying; they can only grieve what is in the contract. Very late in the process, a WEA flier was sent out by the union (we were sent 6 copies- nowhere near enough for the faculty of 45 in our building). This flier stated that "bullying is not illegal" but to report it to the union anyway. This was a crushing piece of information on many fronts. First it's not true; bullying is illegal; the law is pathetically weak but it is illegal. Second, even if bullying were legal, it is morally wrong. It should be the PLACE of the union to BE IN THE FRONT ROW against any attempt to arbitrarily (or as in this case, possibly based on age) bully its members until they retire early or leave the district. The union seems to have failed to protect and represent its own members.
I'd gladly pay $60+ a month to the union if they were effective. I feel that they took my money and gave me no service. I've been a member of various unions for 29 years and this is the weakest one I've been a member of. Hell, 4 years after I left my last union job, I got a check for $16 as part of a settlement with management over improperly paying members for the time taken to return to the start point of the work day. THEY WORKED FOR OVER 4 YEARS TO GET ME(and several hundred other workers) $16 BECAUSE IT WAS THE RIGHT THING TO DO.
Will YOUR union do that for you?
The postcards came back and the anonymous letter is no longer anonymous.
It is "highly" unlikely that anyone other than Susan Paine sent the "anonymous" letter.
I am now having the envelope compared with the variety used in that department.
Bulldog Drummond! Is that spelled correctly? It was before my time!
Union smuion! If we ever had a Section Meeting, maybe we could get involved. I have been in the Custodial Union for over one and half years now, and no meeting yet. Kip did a great job for the District, that's why he is the newest un-needed Supervisor. What are his Supervisory qualifications? The outside Organizer/Rep, Matt Wood is worthless. Let's start over...
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