order non hybrid seeds LandRightsNFarming: Continued Abuse at USDA & Diane Dimond Story: Government Bullies Need Reining In

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Continued Abuse at USDA & Diane Dimond Story: Government Bullies Need Reining In

1 FEBRUARY 2012
 
TO THE WHITE HOUSE, CONGRESS AND USDA:
 
LACK OF PROPER CONGRESSIONAL AND WHITE HOUSE OVERSIGHT HAS ONLY FUELED THE ABUSE AT USDA. DOING LITTLE TO NOTHING ABOUT USDA  ABUSE AGAINST MINORITY FARMERS AND USDA EMPLOYEES HAS ONLY DETERIORATED UNDER THE OBAMA/VILSACK ADMINISTRATION. 
 
THE PLANTATION CULTURE  AT USDA IS OUT OF CONTROL. SEE RECENT UPDATE OF EXAMPLES BELOW....IN JUST ONE AREA OF THE COUNTRY. THESE WOMEN HAVE BEEN GIVEN NO PROTECTION FROM ABUSIVE USDA OFFICIALS.
 
LAWRENCE LUCAS, PRESIDENT
USDA COALITION OF MINORITY EMPLOYEES
 

Forest Service, Region 5 – Status of Female & Minority Employees

January 31, 2012



Forest Service, Region 5 – Status of Female & Minority Employees

January 31, 2012



Forest Service, Region 5 – Status of Female & Minority Employees

January 31, 2012



XXXXXXXXX- Native American Apprentice firefighter, Sequoia National Forest.

  Alicia lives on the Tule River Indian Reservation in central CA. In her 2-½ years as an employee on the Sequoia National Forest the following has been done to her:


1. Continual pressure from male coworkers to have sex.


2. Forced to tell her supervisor every month when her period started.


3. Forced to urinate outside of the crew vehicle in front of the men because they refused to stop at rest stops.


4. Physically assaulted by a male firefighter.


5. Attempted sexual assault by a male firefighter while at a fire incident.


6. Constant sex talk such as, "You'll suck your way to the top."


7. A group of male firefighters wrote, "XXXXXXX is a whore" on 8 1/2 x 11 papers and threw them all over the Engine Bay for her to find.


8. Phone calls from male firefighters with explicit, graphic sex talk while men laughed in the background (we have the voice mails).

 

9.  Denied equal treatment and the same learning opportunities as male coworkers and told she shouldn't be a firefighter because she is a woman.

 

10.  Native American slurs.


  There are dozens more egregious incidents I could include in this summary on XXXXXX. The Forest Service has performed ONE criminal investigation and TWO administrative investigations at my insistence but no disciplinary action has been taken against any employee (except XXXXXXX). In July 2011, XXXXXXX had a face-to-face meeting with USDA Deputy Assistant Secretary Robin Heard who indicated she would correct the situation and settle XXXXXXXX EEO complaint to get her out of the fire organization and away from the perpetrators. Instead, after XXXXXX reported sexual harassment at the Apprentice Academy Robin Heard was personally involved in the decision to kick XXXXXXX out of the Fire Academy just 4 days before she would have graduated. All of the male harassers were allowed to finish the Academy, graduate and get converted to firefighter positions.

 

 

 

XXXXXXXX– Hispanic female (former) firefighter, Eldorado National Forest.

  XXXXXX worked on the Eldorado National Forest in the Placerville, CA area. She is a veteran who was deployed to Iraq. She learned firefighting in the military and decided to pursue that career as a civilian. XXXXXX states that she worked with hundreds of men on a Navy ship for months at a time and was treated with respect and dignity but when she joined the Forest Service many of her male coworkers did everything they could to humiliate her, threaten her and run her out of the fire organization. She endured the following:

 

1.  Hispanic slurs, including being told her skin looked dirty.

 

2.  Denial of equal opportunities and told women should not be firefighters by her supervisor.

 

3.  Physical assault – her male supervisor approached her from behind when she was cutting fire line and threw her to the ground. She landed on her stomach and he stomped on her back with his booted foot to prevent her from rising. When she got up he tried to throw her to the ground a second time. This was witnessed by another male firefighter who was terminated from employment as reprisal for supporting her complaint.

 

Forest and regional management covered up the incident and forced XXXXXX to continue working with the man. XXXXXX was frightened and contacted The Coalition for help. I insisted upon a proper investigation and accountability. The male supervisor made further threats against XXXXXX and employee witnesses. The agency did not take action on those threats. It took months before the agency acted. XXXXXX participated in the October 4, 2011 Coalition of Minority Employees meeting with Secretary Vilsack. He apologized to XXXXXXX for the agency not taking proper action and told her he personally insured the man was terminated. XXXXXXX had to correct him and advise that the man was still not fired. He has since been terminated. XXXXXX career dream was to be a firefighter. Because of the sexism and assault on her and incidents she witnessed other women going through she left the fire organization and went into Recreation. The reason for this in her words, "To be safe." She also had to move to another forest and currently works on the Tahoe National Forest.

 

XXXXXXXXX– Logging Systems Planner, Plumas National Forest

  XXXXX  is in a "traditional" male position in the Timber organization on the Plumas National Forest in Quincy, CA. Because she is a woman in what the Forest Service calls a "non-traditional role" she is treated as a less valued employee. She is a lead Class Agent for the Vercruysse Class Complaint filed in March 2011. She has endured:

 

1. Years of being denied equal opportunities that are given to male employees or wives of the male employees.

 

2.  Unequal treatment in promotions; details; training; mentoring.

 

3.  Isolation and being undermined by male coworkers and managers.

 

4.  Work being removed and given to male employees. Disrespect of her knowledge, skills, and abilities.

 

5.  Region 5 management's refusal to properly classify her series and grade level resulting in inability to qualify for promotional positions.

 

6.  Threats and name-calling. A male Human Resource Officer called her a pig and recommended to her District Ranger (manager of the district) that he et in her face and "menace" her.

 

7.  Management allowed/encouraged a coworker to threaten, intimidate, and harass her.

 

8.  Provided unsatisfactory performance evaluations to prevent her from being competitive in promotional opportunities.

 

9.  Threats of misconduct, discipline, removal of duties and unfunding her position.

 

10.  Reprisal for filing the Class Complaint.

 

  XXXXXXX has applied for dozens of promotional opportunities throughout Region 5 and lost them to males. Prior to filing the class complaint we spent many hours speaking with Regional Office and Washington Office officials on discrimination and civil rights violations and ways to remedy the problems. Instead of working to correct the problems they retaliated against her, forcing her to file the class action complaint. XXXXXX has had numerous conversations with Deputy Assistant Secretary Robin Heard about the issues. Ms. Heard initially said she wanted to settle the class complaint but she and the Office of General Counsel (OGC) ultimately refused to discuss any resolution. Thousands of taxpayer dollars have already been wasted due to the agency refusing to discuss a settlement of administrative actions that would correct the problems.

 

XXXXXXXXX

was a supervisory firefighter until the Agency arbitrarily removed her supervisory authority. She became pregnant with twins and the agency forced her to work in a dungeon-like basement office that was overrun by mice and mice feces. This was a danger to her health and the health of her babies. The agency refused to move her from the office until The Coalition contacted Governor Jerry Brown's office. Governor Brown's Disease Vector Control personnel were so concerned that XXXXXX was at risk for getting Hanta Virus that they called the Forest Service to remedy the situation. The Forest Service has treated other Native American employees have been similarly.

 

THE STORY BELOW GIVES ANOTHER EXAMPLE OD USDA/OGC ABUSE