Women Friendly Workplace Campaign Speakout
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Discrimination in Management
- Subject: Discrimination in Management
- From: Anonymous <no_email@fake.address>
- Date: Sat, 9 May 1998 08:55:05 -0400 (EDT)
Several months ago I was in my cubicle with my phone gear on when a maintenance man came to my jobsite and stuck out his hand. I was confused but I shook his hand. At that point, he squeezed my hand so hard that later, it would show bruising. During this time, I was protesting and demanding that he stop.
He didn't. He began touching me. I protested more. I was stunned. No one in the office came forward to help. I was persistent in my protest and he finally said, "Aye, yey, yey..." and mumbled something in Spanish as he walked away. The next day he returned and did the same thing and the same scenario happened. This time I stated slapping his hands (instead of shoving them away.) He stopped and called me a name, in Spanish, under his breath. My fiance saw the bruising on my hand and reluctantly I told him a part of what happened. The next day, my fiance called this fellow and told him to stop bothering me. The maintenance worker jokingly said, "I can't..." To this statement my fiance asked if he would like to talk about this further...The maintenance man hung up.
The next two days, I was off. When I returned to work, I was told to "step in to the office." My boss and the Human Resources Director came in and closed the door behind them. One was on each side of me. Apparently the maintenance man had a different version of everything connected with this. Even saying that my fiance threatened him.This same maintenance man had made several hundred dollars worth of phone calls to Mexico on the company's bill just a month before.This same employee brought a suit against the company a year before. I called in "sick" for two days after that. When I returned, I was harrassed by my fellow employees about what had happened.
I was then called in to the Human Resouces Director's office. He tried to smooth things over and stated that he told the maintenance man not to talk about this to anyone. I asked him when he had told him this. He answered that it was right after it the M. man came to his office. I told him that everyone who saw me that morning told me that M. man had told them "what happened."
He said, "Well, I'll talk to him again..."
I was upset over this whole scenario. I asked, "What are you going to do?" He basically said that it was a little spat!!!!!
Nothing was going to be done and made a bigger issue about my fiance calling M.man.
I said, "Excuse me, but......" To which he said, "I can tell your upset. Maybe it would be a good idea for you to seek some counseling to deal with this..."
!!!!!!
Nothing was ever done with M.man.
(Interesting side note: M.man also had three children with another woman and bragged that he never paid ANY child support.He had a wife and two children at this time that he was "with.")
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