Recently things have been rocky at work. There'd been a supervisor who had sort of "bullying" attitude with me. 1 day I asked permission to change desks and he gave me permission and helped me move. About an hour later, he and another male supervisor escorted me to a conference room where I was told I wasn't in trouble or being written up but they grilled me on how it wasn't operational neccessity to move me and that I wouldn't be accomodated in the future. (Let me add that we don't have permanent desk assignments in my department... You just come in and sit where assigned for the day. There are at least 20 people doing the same thing.) I asked why I was in there since he gave permission and asked why he didn't just tell me "no" to begin with. He told me not to question his authority and the whole thing became a rip-roaring argument. The director came in and excused him and said he would be counseled. I told the director that the situation felt like a complete abuse of authority and it should have never happened. *
About 2 weeks later, I came in to work and noticed that the male who was supposed to sit at the computer next to me got moved across the room at the consent of the supervisor in question above and there was no operational need—the male coworker moved to an identical desk across the room with similar duties. The male coworker could have performed identical duties from either desk and there were no trouble tickets for the computer next to me, as I called the IT help desk to check. I questioned the problem supervisor and then went to the department director because I felt like it was unfair, especially considering the grilling I got 2 weeks before. *
This male supervisor has also done things such as not let me be excused to change my pants when I was on my menstrual cycle and had blood visible on the exterior of my clothing. We work 10 hour shifts and there is no established break policy because we work under the Railway Labor Act. The Railway Labor Act was created before women did this job, yet the max allowable safe time to wear a tampon is 8 hours due to the risk of Toxic Shock Syndrome. The Railway Labor Act in itself violates a female's civil rights. *
To continue, every altercation with that supervisor was reported and eventually, he was demoted and is no longer a supervisor. *
Coincidentally however, I got taken off work involuntarily just 5 days after one of my grievances, banned from the building, and am being required to be evaluated by the psychologist in our employee assistance program. My boss basically took every time I've ever let a tear fall from my eye and twisted it and turned it around. He claims I'm possibly not "mentally safe to work with flights." The letter he wrote to the psychologist was about the most slanderous crock of s*t anyone has ever written about me in my life and I have at least 8 coworkers who can stand up for my viability and state that the types of things my boss wrote in the letter to the psych are NOT anywhere near my character. *
What's even more questionable to me is that the day I got removed from the building, my boss stated that no altercation or questionable behavior had occurred that day—yet I was not removed until two-thirds of the way into my shift. If I was a "safety of flight issue, " why was I not removed before my shift? I feel that the removal from work is some type of retaliation stemming from the conference room situation because if there was ever questionable behavior from me, why wouldn't I be removed right when it happened? *
Even more concerning is that the director is requiring that I can only use the psychologist and therapist at the EAP office. I'm not allowed to get a "fitness-for-duty" evaluation from a practitioner on my insurance. This is not Worker's Comp and the company has yet to provide me a written policy stating that a "fitness-for-duty" evaluation must come from their EAP office. Regardless, I went to the EAP office and passed the FIRST evaluation. When my boss learned of it, the company called up the EAP office and made me have a second eval.By the way, on the EAP referral, there was a place to sign whether or not I give consent for my employer to discuss my case with the EAP office and it was not required for me to sign it as long as I furnish treatment progress records. I did not sign it. I also did not sign consent to release information with the therapist. My work was way out of line in talking to the therapist. *
Even though my company will only allow me to use the EAP office, to cover my rear, I went to my physician and got a full physical and showed the EAP referral. We talked in depth for about 90 minutes. Not only was I given a statement saying I was 100% competent to work, I was recommended to retain an attorney. *
I feel like the whole mental evaluation thing was just an attempt to discredit me so that my sexual harassment claims against that supervisor/director hold no weight. I also question the legality of only allowing me to get a fitness-for-duty evaluation from THEIR EAP clinic. This is not worker's comp—I should have the right to be signed off by ANY licensed doctor who is able to assess a patient's mental status and that includes my physician. *
The evening I was removed from work, I asked if they wanted me to get a physical and they said no. They said "a physician can't make an assessment of mental health." My physician laughed at that and said, "Well, how am I able to prescribe antidepressants if I can't determine whether or not they need them?" *
I would also like to mention that after the company sent me home and banned me from the building, they sent me a letter stating that they do not want me recording phone calls.in the same letter, they also stated that they would let me out of a scholarship agreement early if I agreed to release all claims. The scholarship balance is $600... I'll gladly pay that and will NOT release claims. I thought the letter was very odd. Why would they try to negotiate the resignation of someone they sent home for supposedly being in a "mentally unfit state?" That's a bit unethical in my opinion. On one hand, they are regarding me as disabled enough that I can't work until proven otherwise—yet on the other hand, they are saying I am competent enough to resign. *
In the meeting with my director and HR person where I got removed from work, they were trying to get me to say things I didn't want to say.in the letter to the psychologist, they wrote up stuff saying how I had said I hate the company, etc.in the meeting, they were trying to get me to admit that I am mentally ill and that maybe the above items never happened. That is such bulls*t because I know I'm right on queue and I have witnesses. I never said any of that stuff, yet I was told if I record the meeting, I would be terminated. I DID threaten them with a lawyer and it seemed that made the whole thing worse.in the meeting, I tried to say that I wanted legal counsel present and they said my company is private property and he would be denied entrance. *
Messed up, huh??
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