I am writing to ask your help in an employment matter because my supervisor is continuing to threaten me with more reprimands, and will not tell me or the union what there are for. I hope that you will be able to assist me. I am a disabled government employee with over 30 years of services with the National Weather Service (please see my resume of my awards and my achievements on a web site at http://www.universalc.com/herbprofile.html ). During the last 4 years, NOAA, NWS and the Dept. of Commerce has gone the wrong direction in terms of hiring disabled persons. Under your leadership, many military retirees have taken high positions in DOC, NOAA, and NWS. These people have no understanding of disabled people and of diversity (please see http://www.universalc.com/employvid ). Under the leadership of Secretary Daley, the Department of Commerce set up a diversity committee which was empowered to train supervisors (the founder of VID, Herb Hoffman, was on the board and developed a training program for supervisors). In 2000, Secretary Evans, discontinued the committee. Because of this, many officials act as if they are on a mission from God, developing policies that help themselves. They do not even hire disabled vets who return from the war seeking employment. When Jack Kelly visited our office a few years ago, I hired a driver to drive me to the office on my own time (30 miles from Chicago --- I don't know why its still called the Chicago Weather Service). Dr. Kelly will not even talk to me. He only waved at me on his way out. I feel he should at least talk to me since I am the only disabled employee at the office and he was the new director. How can he hire other disabled persons if he is not concerned about the employees he already has. Furthermore, this office is isolated from the public and has no public transportation that runs by the office.
Two years ago I got a new supervisor, and I feel that he is causing
me trouble to make me retire. He says that I do not do enough
work
to support my grade (GS-9) --- I had to fight for every promotion I
ever
got and because of my disability they told me that I could never be
promoted
above a grade 9. Under my old supervisor, I was able to find new
climate information which made us able to do more research. I
even
received cash awards for my efforts; however, under my new supervisor,
I had to abandon my project and do some work that he wants done.
My new supervisor has given me a reprimand because I did not complete
my
project as he wanted. He does not understand that because I type
with my foot, I type slow. Even though I try to make deadlines, I
was unable to have completed my work at the deadline. He told me that
my work had to be completed for his web site. However, after 4 months,
he still has not put my work on his web site. The regional
director
now says that he will close my small accessible office in Chicago (the
only office in Chicago that can give climate information to the
public).
GSA now charges $5,000 for my office space (under the former President
it was free at the FEB office, but they took it away under your
leadership).
The regional director told me that I must travel to the Romeoville
office
twice a week now, and 5 days a week starting May 1, 2004 (I have
to travel 30 miles by bus and train which takes 5 hours). The
director suggested that I move
by the office, but so far I have not found an affordable, accessible
house with the PA support that I need. I am thinking about
building a house in the area; however, seven years ago, LaSalle Bank
made an error in my bank account and they took all my money (please see
the information on the web at http://www.universalc.com/lasalle
).
Besides that, they sued me causing me some of the worst times of my
life. In fact, my mother and my brother tried to take away my
half of the house where I live because of this. Therefore, I do
not have the money to build a house unless my mother lets me sell the
house where I now live. I was thinking about rehabbing an old
house and possibly getting funds from the Olmstead mandate to rehab a
house. We are about to rehab some homes in the Chicago area with
the Olmstead mandate.
Under my old supervisor, I was allowed to work on an Olmstead
project
as you outlined in your executive order. I feel very strongly
about
the Olmstead issue, and I commend you on your foresight. However,
my supervisor along with the regional director do not share the same
views
as my old supervisor. I was even able to have some disabled
foundations
support the web site that we founded at http://www.ablehomraides.com/congress_of_disabled_persons_against_exploitation.htm
, and http://www.universalc.com/chiolmstead.html
. I also hope you will take time to take a look at the web site
and
give me some direction as how I can go about obtaining funds to build
accessible
housing for the elderly and the disabled. One of the ideas is to
train homeless people to act as personal assistants to the disabled and
the elderly. Some of the companies even donate some of their
profits
so we are able to build accessible housing. My new supervisor
makes
me feel that I have done something wrong. He has even tried to
break
into my office to spy on me. Please see attached memo (see http://www.universalc.com/noaaemploy
).
He even copied the CASHE memory in my computer in order to give me two
more reprimands (he put my hard drive in his pocket instead of filling
out the proper paper work for the building management). Please
see
memos attached in mailing.
During the last eight years, I have been involved with the FEB
program
in my area. We were able to set up a diversity day every year;
however,
the director of the FEB decided that I was becoming too popular so she
took it upon herself to spy on me during the worst years I have lived
thus
far. During this time, I was trying to set up my own business
with
Able Home Aides. One of my bank accounts received a large wire
from
someone I did not know. When I asked the bank where the money
came
from, they told me that it was my money and I was able to use the money
any way that I see fit. In the past, I occupied an office space
with
the FEB. I called people about my bank problem during my lunch
hour.
This is what the FEB director did not like; however, I felt she had no
right to spy on me. She would go back and tell things to my old
supervisor.
Now after seven years, she is telling my new supervisor all about my
past
employment positions and my personal business. She does not
understand
about Olmstead and how having an accessible home would enable me to
keep
my job. I wish she would allow the FEB Diversity Committee to address
the Olmstead issues, and I wish that I could once again be on the
committee. Maybe you can direct your FEB staff to work on these issues.
At one point in my career with the National Weather Service, I was
allowed to set up a climate office at Northeastern Illinois University
which is in the Chicago area. I found many people like to stop by
to ask questions about the climate of Chicago and to get
information. The students of NEIU were able to develop research
projects and we were about to ask NOAA for some grant money; however,
the National Weather Service allowed the project to be
terminated. While I was there Ii help set up a "weather law"
department which is now at the Midwest Climate center in Urbana, IL
(they make more than $70,000 per year from attorneys because of my
idea. I even asked the attorney general in 1993 if it was a conflict of
interest if I wok for Weather Law department during my off hours from
NWS. A waiver was granted because of my low position at NWS. They even
agreed to donate part of their profit to the Olmstead project. Last
year I also help found the Institute on Energy, Climate and Weather
with the idea of conducting research into the harnessing of different
types of energy. This would allow me to prove to everyone that I am
able to do higher levels or work once I retire from NWS. Several months
ago I had talked to the president of NEIU
and she expresses a desire to develop another project with the Weather
Service. This would allow me to have an office close to my house
and it would also allow me to hire students to help me.
At one stage in my life, my mother decided that I would be better off
in a nursing home. If I did not have the "know how" to hire a
personal
assistant, I would probably be wasting away in a nursing home.
This
is why the Olmstead issue has a such deep meaning in my life. In
the past 55 years, I have seen many disabled and elderly people waste
away and die in nursing homes because no one wants them. I feel
this is the most selfish act that our society justifies. I
sincerely hope that in your next four years as president you will
be able to allow elderly and disabled people to live where they choose
and not waste away in a nursing home. Nursing home facilities
only want to make a profit and appear not to not care about the well
being of their clients. When I retire from the National Weather
Service, I want to devote the rest of my life to seeing that the
elderly and the disabled are able to live out the rest of their lives
with dignity. I would like to ask your Department of Human
Services if any grant money is available for rehabbing houses. We
are trying to work with Mayor Daley to buy abandoned buildings, rehab
them and turn them into housing for the elderly and disabled.
This would contribute to helping the neighborhoods and the city come
alive.
Below are some questions that I would like to ask you: