Epidemic of EEOC Complaints in BLM Redding, CA Field Office

As of March 10th, 2008 Ms. Hallstrom has not received a final decision from the EEOC Administrative Judge nor has she heard a final decision from Federal Division of Occupational Worker’s Compensation. Ms. Hallstrom is on medical leave without pay.

There have been additional EEO complaints filed against the managers in Ms. Hallstrom’s office by other Federal employees recently. You can read more of her story below.

December 9th, 2007,

To: Department of Labor, Federal OWCP Division

From: Tracy Hallstrom, Claim # 132183400

To whom it may concern;

My nameTracy Hallstrom. I have been employed with the Department of Interior-Bureau of Land Management, Redding, California Field office since December 1999. I work in Administration and Public Contact.

On May 9, 2005 as Class Agent representing 100% females in our office, filed an EEO Class complaint against our Field office manager case #LLM-05-030 alleging Gender Discrimination and Hostile Harassment work environment.

On May 31, 2005 myself and another employee filed individual complaints with the basis of reprisal and discrimination, case #BLM-05-0440.

On September 21, 2005 the Class complaint became individual consolidated complaints where as my case# was BLM-05-0390.

On June 2, 2005 myself and others filed individual whistleblower disclosures with the Office of Special Counsel and the Department of Interior-Office of Inspector General in Washington DC disclosing waste, fraud, abuse, Contract fraud, misappropriations of the French fire monies including other allegations as well as prohibited personnel practices.

Since filing protected activity, I have been reprized against and bullied by managers and supervisors in my office on a regular basis. I have had to seek counseling from a therapist to help me deal with the hostile work environment and the undue stress that has been placed upon me since filing. I have had to use all of my annual and sick leave due to declining health from my work environment and have used hundreds of hours of leave without pay.

My EEOC Hearing was April 24, 2007 and the AJ had 180 days to reach a final decision on my case.

It is now December 9, 2007 and still no decision which has increased the hostile work environment and my stress. I have been taken off work numerous of times for work stress related illnesses and even at the advice of my treating doctors and therapist advising me to quit. I was reprised against two weeks ago on November 26th and again on the 27th.

In the early hours of the 28th, I woke up with severe chest pains and found myself in the Emergency room being admitted for having a possible mild heart attack. I was fortunate that I had passed a stress test the next day and there were no signs of damage to my heart.

It was at that point I decided to take the advice of all the doctors, nursing staff and apply for Occupational Stress because I can no longer handle the stress working in a hostile work environment. It has affected my health in the negative.

I am the sole caregiver for my elderly parents as well. They are 80 and 90 years old and my stress from my work environment has affected the care that I give my parents because I have been ill as well because of my work situation.

Had the BLM State Director Mike Pool and his Associate State Director Jim Abbott stepped in when I emailed them on numerous occasions to put a stop to the harassment, retaliation, and made reasonable accommodations for me several months ago, I wouldn’t be ill as I am now.

My hearing transcripts will prove that I have been reprised against and that because the BLM didn’t take my allegations of depression and stress from my work environment seriously it has caused me to become ill and that I can no longer work in the BLM Redding field office.

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Posted in Equal Employment Opportunity, Federal Government Whistleblower, Government Accountability Project, Government Corruption, OSC, Office of Personnel Management, PEER, Project on Government Oversight, Scott Bloch | 1 Comment »

Scott Bloch’s and the Double Standard Rule

By Beth Daley

February 15, 2008

Two weeks ago, U.S. Special Counsel Scott Bloch accused the Department of Justice (DOJ) of blocking his supposed investigations into the U.S. attorney firings when DOJ’s Inspector General asked Bloch to defer his review until they had completed their own investigation. At the time, the dueling investigations argument didn’t pass muster with Bloch’s office. But that same defense was good enough for Bloch to use in his own defense last week in a letter to House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Henry Waxman and Ranking Member Tom Davis.

The Committee wants to question Bloch about his seven-level wipe of computers at his office. That may have been an effort to cover up wrongdoing or obstruct an investigation into Bloch himself, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Bloch has canceled scheduled interviews with the Committee twice.

According to Bloch’s letter last week:

This letter is in response to your letter of January 16, 2008 regarding the Committee’s request for a transcribed interview of me. I continue to have substantial concerns about the Committee’s request because any such interview may touch on a matter that remains under investigation by the Office of Personnel Management (”OPM”).

That sounds familiar. According to the Washington Post a few weeks back:

[DOJ Inspector General Glenn] Fine’s office generally does not comment on investigations, but Cynthia Schnedar, a spokeswoman for the inspector general, rejected Bloch’s letter as “both factually inaccurate and misleading.”

She added: “We agree with the Department of Justice that the more responsible course would be for Mr. Bloch to postpone his limited review–as OSC has stated that it has done in other instances–so that it does not interfere with the Office of the Inspector General and the Office of Professional Responsibility’s comprehensive joint investigation into the U.S. Attorney firings.”

James P. Mitchell, a spokesman for Bloch, challenged Fine’s office to explain the alleged inaccuracies in detail. “We have our jurisdiction,” he said. “We have always said we will not be interfering with this investigation.”

Looming in the background are questions as well about whether Bloch perjured himself when he testified before the Committee’s Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, Postal Service, and the District of Columbia. Members of Congress questioned Mr. Bloch at the hearing about the circumstances surrounding the leak of an Office of Special Counsel report chastising GSA Administrator Lurita Doan. Sources say Bloch lied when he claimed he knew nothing about the leak of the report, and that he, in fact, may have directed that it be leaked in order to bask in the media spotlight.

Sources also raise questions about whether Bloch’s supposed investigation of the U.S. attorney firings at DOJ is even within OSC’s jurisdiction, whether he is being disingenuous in claiming to be actively investigating Karl Rove, or whether Bloch is simply using every last trick in the book, from seven level security wipes to phony high profile investigations, to save his own hide.

http://pogoblog.typepad.com/pogo/2008/02/blochs-double-s.html

Posted in Equal Employment Opportunity, Government Accountability Project, Government Corruption, OSC, OSC Watch, Office of Personnel Management, PEER, Project on Government Oversight, Scott Bloch | No Comments »