The Power of Reversal - The Objective

When its been relatively quiet
and suddenly out of no where
management is whacking you with
write ups, I don't think its unreasonable
to become suspicious about management's
motive. Particularly, if your home is one
of the three Riverside Drive East properties
that sits directly across from Ford Motor
Company's riverfront property and Ford
happens to be one of the partners involved
in the cogeneration project and you happen
to be its employee.

On the last day before going on the 2006
Christmas holiday shutdown, I was
written up for alleged failure to perform.
On the first day of returning to work on
January 3rd, 2007, I was written up again.
This time for alleged insubordination.
Both these write ups combined resulted in
a six day suspension on paper. I believe I
served three days.

Within a week of returning to work from
the suspension. I was sitting at home on
suspension again, worried to death that
I was on the verge of being fired from my
job.

In all three write ups, my Team Coordinator
(T.C.) was in the picture. Two out of the
three write ups the union equity rep. was
involved. But neither times for for my
benefit. All three allegations of misconduct
were not proved by my accusers. They
didn't have to. The burden of proof was
reversed. I had to prove the allegations
weren't true after the suspensions were
all ready administered.

I've learned that when a process is
suppose to go in a certain direction
and is reversed you are in major trouble
It means that whatever it is
your are seeking to obtain, the objective
of 'reversal' is to ensure that you do not
get it.

Deliberate reversal of a process
is like getting on an escalator and
discovering it's running backwards.
Your objective is to reach the top
steps so you can get off at the top
landing. Unless the steps are switched
to operate in ascension, you'll never
reach your goal of getting off on the
next level. Thus, you will always be
at the bottom steps at ground level
because the steps are descending
not ascending. Therefore, the point of
deliberately reversing a process or
burden of proof or even someone's
fortunes, status, etc, etc, is to keep
the individual or group (s) indiviudals
at the bottom.

When a supervisor intends to write
you up for whatever it is they are
alleging you did or didn't do, they
always tell you, "I'm writing you
up." Then they'll provide a reason.
The last incident there was no
warning. I didn't see it coming.

I was on my job on the assembly line,
when my supervisor approached me
and requested that I attend a disciplinary
interview. Since, I had already been
to HR (Human Resources) in regards
to the two earlier write ups and just
recently returned from a suspension
and had not been subjected to any
additional write ups since my return
to work, I initially didn't understand
the request.

On questioning, my supervisor told
me the interview was for misconduct.
I asked, "Misconduct for what?"
He then mentioned my union brother,
Team Coordinator's name. I instantly
knew that it had to do with the
disagreement I had with the T.C. the
day before. I had forgotten all about it.
Evidently he didn't

I told the supervisor that I would
not attend. There was no misconduct.
Just an disagreement between co-workers.
I asked him to call the union. I was mad
at the T.C. I couldn't believe he went
to management. I needed more conflict
with management like a poke in my eye.
I was not happy.

Shortly after the supervisor left a
second supervisor arrived and made
the same request. I gave her the same
response , "No. I want to talk to the
union." She left. The union rep. arrives.
The rep. instead of challenging the
supervisor's basis for requiring that I
attend the disciplinary interview, he
tries to convince me to go to the
interview.

As I'm telling the rep, "No I'm not
going." I notice from the corner of my
eye, the first supervisor approaching
behind me. He hears my response to
the rep. "No. I'm not going." As I turn
towards him, he says, " All right, that's
it! You're off the clock! Management
lingo for, "Your suspended!" I couldn't
believe what was happening. I asked, "
For what?" He said, "Refusing a direct
order." I asked, " What are you talking
about? I wasn't talking to you I was
talking with my rep.!" He said, " No.
You're off the clock!" He then abruptly
turned and walked away.I thought, "
I'm getting royally screwed here."

I was angry. I was wearing
headphones to protect my ears
from the plant noise and I pulled it
off my head and slammed the headphones
to the ground in frustration. One of the
muffs broke off on impact with the
floor. I got nailed for that. Destruction
of company property. It's the only
thing that I did do.

None of what had occurred made
any sense. I have a disagreement with
a union brother, a T.C., and as a result
I'm required to attend a disciplinary
interview. No write up, just go. I tell
the rep.that I'm not going to the interview,
and I'm promptly suspended by the
supervisor upon him overhearing me.
The supervisor treated both the T.C. and
the rep. as if they were members of
management. It was odd.

The union rep. and I left my work area
and headed to the union office. Once at the
union office the rep. provided me with
a copy of the supervisor's disciplinary
report. A sub rep. was also present.
After reading the report I finally
learned what the alleged misconduct
was. Harassment!

The harassment allegation was absolute
nonsense. How do you harass someone
you never associate with unless it pertains
to your job. T.C.s bodies are in the
bargaining unit, but some T.C.s (actually
too many) heart and mind are with
management.

We've had many members lose their jobs
due to job cuts. And there are T.C.s who
will assist management in cutting their
own union brothers and sisters jobs for
browny points. That's basically what the
essence of the disagreement was about
between myself and the T.C.

Conclusion in a Nutshell.

While on suspension awaiting my fate, it
occurs to me that the recent suspensions
has something to do with my house, Ford
and its cogeneration partners. In a
letter dated February 10, 2007,
addressed to HR and in plant union,
I wrote:

"attached find info from EWCC website.
Please note that Ford is a partner. No
wonder the rash of write ups. Management
is setting me up to be fired."

What happened to the T.C.'s allegation of
harassment? In letters to the Local union
president I question why the T.C.'s
harassment complaint did not trigger
Appendix 'O' Harassment/ Discrimination
Internal Complaint Resolution Procedure
("The Procedure") of the collective agreement.
The T.C. is a visible minority. He's east
Indian.

Given that the supervisor wanted me to
attend a disciplinary interview based
on the T.C's allegation of harassment,
according to the procedure, I should have
been notified of the complaint before
the commencement of an investigation.

But I wasn't notified of the complaint
because there had not been an investigation
prior to the supervisor asking me to attend
the disciplinary interview for misconduct.
Yet the supervisors and the union reps
required that I attend a disciplinary interview
for alleged harassment that neither the union
and management informed me or investigate.

An investigation did eventually take place,
but only because I pointed out in my letters
that no investigation of the T.Cs harassment
complaint had occured. The conclusion
of the union's after the fact investigation
was that there was no evidence of harassment
as per the Ontario Human Rights Code.

A union rep. asked me if I would be willing
to sign a grievance. I told the rep. I'd need
to see the union fact sheet first. The rep.
said that he didn't have to show me the
fact sheet because it was his facts.

I wan't just being set up to be fired,
I was also being set up to have no income.
You can't collective employment insurance
if you are terminated from your employment
due to your misconduct. I understand that
you can't collect social assistance if you own
a house and have any savings. So I would
have to lose everything first.

I was wondering how much will my home
be worth once EWCC breaks ground? Will
EWCC breaking ground wipe out the
equity I have built up in my home?

Check out my previous post for
recent Windsor Star news on the
cogeneration project.