Chapter 1
After working retail for many years, a chance to return to the world of higher learning, had arrived. No more grocery work, no more baby pictures, no more balancing tills. My ticket out had arrived at the ripe old age of 30. Or so I thought.
Having earned an associate’s degree in business seven years earlier, I decided to spend the last two years of school studying journalism at the University of Central Oklahoma.
Many of my professors were former newspaper editors and authors.
Overall they painted a clear picture of what the journalism field is, low pay and long hours.
But the one thing they didn’t prepare students for was bullying in the workplace.
Over time I had worked several jobs dealing with people from all walks of life. From the overcharged grocery shopper to the upset mom who couldn’t have her baby’s picture back by Christmas – I thought I had seen and heard it all.
But I was wrong.
After graduating UCO in December of 2001, I landed my first newspaper job as a sports editor for a small daily paper.
It appeared I had done everything right. Not all college graduates land jobs in their fields within 30 days of graduating.
The editorial staff was comprised of the editor; Shannon Houser, and two staff writers; Chuck Adams and Elaine Stafford, who between them had over 70 years experience.
I entered the building on my first day a nervous wreck. The secretary, Karen Stinson, who had been there seven years, directed me to my desk. And with that the journey to journalism hell began.
For weeks I adjusted to my new role in life, following small town sports.
The pay wasn’t much and the hours weren’t great, but it was a job in my field.
Our staff jelled and got along fine. Of course there was the occasional advertising versus editorial feud but nothing out of the ordinary.
It took a few months but I was finally feeling okay about what I was doing.
I started receiving positive feedback from the readers.
Basically things were going the way I had hoped with my only complaint being low pay. In the end I would have a whole lot more than pay to complain about.
Chapter 2
One day I met the sports editor from a neighboring paper, Maxine Uecker, at an area basketball game. We struck up a conversation and developed a friendship.
For the next few weeks Maxine and I traded newsroom horror stories. She told me about her publisher and how he would raise his voice at the staff.
I was happy I didn’t have to deal with that.
My editor seemed to be moody. She didn’t like to be disturbed and preferred quite. Some things about her I didn’t understand or agree with, but that is with every boss. In the few months we worked together I learned a lot.
At the end of July, Shannon left for vacation. I was chopping at the bit to have my chance to fill in. Not because I wanted her job, I didn’t, but because I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it.
That Monday I went to the office to get a head start on Tuesday’s duties.
Advertising staff members, Jackie Carmichael and Cindy Spencer were there as was Karen. I could tell something was a miss but I wasn’t for sure what.
Jackie told me that this was my chance. She indicated that if I could do a good job in Shannon’s absence, I might end up with her job.
I wasn’t sure what to think. The opportunity sounded good. The chance to earn more money would be welcomed, and I was confident I could do it. But it seemed cruel to plan someone’s demise while they were on vacation.
I decided to do the best I could and come what may.
Chapter 3
The first story I dealt with was an accident that claimed the lives of two young boys. It was the lead story. Papers flew off the racks. The community wanted to read about the tragedy, and friends and family wanted copies of the obituaries.
I remember hearing the general manager, William Jordan, telling the publisher, Johnny Thomas, that the papers had sold out for the first time in a long while.
The increase in sales seemed to seal Shannon’s fate.
Before the end of the day the decision was made to relieve her of her duties.
I didn’t know how to feel. I knew it wasn’t anything I had done that resulted in the papers selling out. And how cruel could a company be to let someone go while they were on vacation.
Chapter 4
The following Monday the deed was done. Shannon was notified of her termination. I remember going to the office that evening to surf the Internet. Upon entering I saw that all of her stuff was gone
The phone kept ringing and no one would say anything. I wondered if it was her. I also wondered if she thought I was behind this. I didn’t know how to feel. On one hand I had a shot at a position, but on the other hand I felt that my own employment could be in jeopardy.
The next day it was off to the presses. The staff members and I struggled to get papers out on time. The mistakes were many and sometimes huge. Failure was looming.
Shannon came in to retrieve some things. I heard Karen tell her to never look back. Little did we know those words of advice would ring true for many of us.
After weeks of putting out anything but journalism masterpieces we got our act together. The papers were looking better and running on time or real close.
However, the sharks also known as management, had placed an ad for a new managing editor.
The man that would respond and get hired was Rob Hinshaw, aka Satan.
Chapter 5
The tall white-haired applicant seemed very nice at first. He met with William and agreed to do a couple of stories to demonstrate his abilities. Before the stories were done he started e-mailing tips for a better paper. Then the e-mails started to take on a more superior tone.
It was clear he thought he was in charge.
On Sept. 17, I was informed that Rob had been hired as a stringer. But this wasn’t good enough for the want to be boss. The next day he received a tour of the office and before we knew it he was the man in charge.
William told me of the decision on a Thursday. He also asked me to train Rob since he had no skills or experience. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. This obnoxious man with no experience was going to be my boss and I was going to have to train him.
In an attempt to pacify me, management offered me a small raise.
I was overwhelmed with anger, hurt and all of the emotions that come with being screwed over.
After voicing my opinions I left for the day very angry. Three co-workers sensed something was wrong and tried to question me. When I told them what was about to happen they were just as upset as I was. We all knew we were heading for a rough ride.
Chapter 6
The next day Rob reported to work. I met with him and William. He discussed the direction he wanted to take the paper. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. He wanted to do the same things that resulted in Shannon being terminated as well as things I was told not to do.
One thing our publisher had drilled in to our heads was the fact that he wanted no International news in the paper. The Iraq conflict was in the baby stages and the publisher felt that readers could gather their information from CNN rather than from the hometown newspaper.
But Rob thought otherwise and claimed that Johnny was okay with his ideas. He even said that Johnny was up for changes and that he would be more accepting of ideas from him rather than me.
It was obvious that the staff’s concerns about this situation was going to be ignored and that Rob was going to make our lives a living hell and the two who could stop him had no intention of doing so.
Chapter 7
So off to the newsroom we went to try and put out the daily paper.
Rob wasted no time in showing us who was boss. He was very loud and rude and listened to no one. He stated that he was now in charge and we were all to do as he said. He stood over me like a parrot on my shoulder, attempting to direct the layout of the paper. It was unbearable. Within a half an hour I headed for the back door.
My co-worker Laura Jean (L.J.) stopped me. We went into the back room and talked. I could barely talk through the tears.
Rob was out of control and completely rude. It was obvious he had no respect for me nor did he care to.
L.J. agreed that he was not going to be pleasant to work for. While we were talking, Elaine walked up on us. She was not a Rob fan either. She just shook her head and walked off when she discovered how the morning had been going.
L.J. and I continued to the back door. Sitting there were Cindy and Jackie. They begged me not to leave. Cindy stepped outside with me and pleaded for me to stay. I didn’t want to give up my job but I knew the wrath of Rob would be too much.
I tearfully headed down the alley and to my truck and headed out of town.
I called Maxine and told her what had just happened. She encouraged me to go back and fight for my job but I didn’t think it would be worth it. Later I arranged for L.J., Cindy and Jackie to meet me at Pizza Hut.
They brought me some stuff that I had left behind. We had a beer and pizza. L.J. and Jackie had pulled together to put the daily paper out. They used everything they could get their hands on. The final project barely resembled a newspaper.
I hated that my leaving had created such a burden on them, but I also knew management was the ultimate blame as they were the ones allowing Rob to act in the manner that he did.
I came home and fed my pet squirrels. I sat outside and stared at everything and decided that I shouldn’t give up that easily.
Chapter 8
I went back the next morning to talk to William. I told him quitting was not what I wanted to do but I did not appreciate the manner in which Rob treated me.
Then the phone rang.
It was Rob. He had been admitted to the hospital for a nervous condition.
William had no choice but to give me my job back. He even commented that God was smiling on the staff that day.
I assumed the reins and put out the Sunday paper. Jackie, Cindy and L.J. were shocked but I think relieved to see me back at the desk. We finished the paper and left.
Two days later it was time to try and work with Rob again. It was hopeless. He resumed where he left off. He yelled about everything and at everybody.
Once again I took the brunt of the outburst since I possessed the skills needed to layout the paper. After enduring the tirade all morning I fired back. During one of his outburst, I yelled back and informed him that no man was going to speak to me in that manner. The only male I would have ever tolerated a tone like that from was my father.
I remember seeing the look of shock on Jackie’s face. I was only waist high against Rob but I made myself heard.
During one of the outbursts, a customer, Gay King, entered the business. She looked on in disbelief as Rob screamed at me. Jackie couldn’t believe the lack of professionalism throughout the building. I remember she stated how embarrassing the situation was and retreated to the back room.
Later King wrote a letter to the editor stating that her trip in the office was like visiting Marine Boot camp.
Phones rang off the hook with complaints about the poor journalism.
One of the stories Rob did was an accident involving a semi- truck and a cow. The truck driver had been pinned in the wreckage. The report indicated that he might lose his leg. Rob added his own twist to the story by stating that no formal charges were filed against the cow. I was outraged that this man could turn a serious matter into a joke.
Fearing that I would suffer the backlash of the joke, since I was supposed to be training Rob, I e-mailed Johnny and stated that I did not want to be held accountable for the content of that days paper.
To my disbelief, although by this time almost anything was believable, Johnny contacted William and I was later instructed to never e-mail Johnny again. Later I was told that Johnny wanted me fired.
The same day King’s letter arrived at the office; I received a thank you note for a story. In an attempt to prove that the readers appreciated my work, I shared the note with Rob. He replied that he was more proud of his “nasty” letter to the editor than I was of my thank you note.
Rob spent that morning spreading more insults among staff members. At one point Rob was enraged because the computer was not working fast enough for him. When I tried to explain the problem he slammed his arm on the desk and screamed “God Damn it, this is unacceptable and I want results not explanations.”
The outburst was nerve wrecking and uncalled for. Karen went to William to complain about the behavior. William told her to buy earplugs.
We couldn’t believe that William did nothing. After putting the paper to bed, I decided that if management was not going to do anything about this I was going to have to find away.
Chapter 9
I called a lawyer and was able to visit with him that afternoon. That is when I learned what little rights employees have in the workplace. I told him about the situation and he advised me that the only thing I could do was quit and file for unemployment based on a hostile work atmosphere.
Once again I was in a state of disbelief. But by this time it had become a permanent state of mind. The whole situation was like a bad dream. I hadn’t been sleeping and could barely eat. My job had turned into a nightmare and I didn’t know what to do.
Every road I went down was a dead end. I finally decided to take it to extremes. I bought a tape recorder.
I knew that William was telling Johnny that I was the instigator of Rob’s outburst. So I decided recordings don’t lie.
Chapter 10
The next day’s disagreements began with an argument over football. Rob had never heard of a middle line backer and insisted that I was wrong. As an avid sports fan and card collector I refused to back down. I knew I was right. Realizing he was in over his head he asked William to join in the discussion. I reached for the annual football roundup magazine and proved my point.
Only then did Rob back off. But that wouldn’t be the end of it. Rob decided to remind me that I lacked experience and qualifications in the journalism field. This coming from a man who couldn’t even lay out the paper.
I just thought to myself, ‘keep talking you son of a bitch, the tape is rolling.’
A customer entered and he stopped. It seemed he didn’t want a rerun of the King letter. I took a moment and went to William again. Once again in tears I begged him to do something about the verbal abuse. William acknowledged the cursing from the day before, but said he was tired of playing referee and just didn’t have time to mess with situation anymore.
So once again I returned to my desk in my state of disbelief. Rob continued the verbal onslaught. This time he informed me that if I couldn’t read various newspapers, watch CNN, CSPAN and listen to the NPR radio network, then I should just quit and take up tap dancing.
The day continued to get worse. The next hurdle was a missing credit card. Rob insisted that I had it. I insisted that I didn’t. Karen finally entered the room and informed Rob she had it. Once again Rob was wrong and he hated it.
Later Rob handed me a copy of a New York Times article. He then asked me if I had heard of the Times. This time I didn’t even acknowledge the question, instead I once again went to William in disgust. And once again was told that I instigated it.
Once again I secretly thanked God for tape recorders.
The day’s insults weren’t over yet. A press release came in on working mothers. To this Rob questioned, “What would Marie know about being a working mother?”
At this point nothing was off limits to this out of control tyrant.
At one point he even asked fellow coworker Lisa Bookout, if she had got laid over the weekend. In most offices, this would be sexual harrasement, but not at this office.
Chapter 11
The days continued and so did the insults. Yelling, door slamming, tears, insults and trips to the bathroom to change tapes, became a way of life at the small paper.
Deadline was impossible to meet. Rob insisted it was my fault. In his mind I should be able to paginate the entire paper with him standing over me barking directions. Finally he ordered me to arrive to work at 6 a.m. I humored him and did so and we still couldn’t make deadline.
I tried to make everyone understand that there was no way to meet deadline in this kind of work environment. Not only did Rob stand over me, he would have me move the content around several times before deciding on its placement. Rob was not at the top of his game in story placement.
A family submitted an article on a relative who was turning 100. Rob insisted on placing it by the obituaries. I told him people would think the lady had died at first glance. He insisted the birthday article stay there, commenting that the lady would be in the death column soon enough anyway.
As I predicted someone called to complain, Rob immediately blamed me. I reminded him that I warned him of the future problem. He then told me I should stand up to him when I’m right.
I could do no right. If I stood up to him I was insubordinate, if I kept quite I was wrong. I knew I could not continue on this way. Why was this happening? Why was William allowing it? What had I done to deserve this? These questions and others flowed non- stop through my head.
Chapter 12
The double standards continued. One day we were three hours past deadline. We still had space to fill. William allowed Rob to drive 30 miles round trip to a neighboring city so that he could e-mail a story on houseflies. The state of disbelief spread throughout. Just days earlier I was told to come in at 6 a.m. in an attempt to make deadline, but this man was allowed to delay the process to retrieve a story on houseflies.
At a normal newspaper a press release or an AP story would have filled the space.
Finally the paper was done and another week of torture ended. Even though I had two days away from the situation physically and mentally it was still there. My time was spent thinking of ways to end the situation.
I had no desire to talk to people outside the situation because I felt like they didn’t care to hear about it. One evening I ventured out with a friend for ice cream and to my shock there was Rob.
It was hopeless. The situation dominated my thoughts and life. One night I finally got to sleep and dreamed that Rob moved in next door and was watching me through the windows.
I knew then I was on the verge of a breakdown if I didn’t get out of the situation.
Chapter 13
Tuesday rolled around and it was back to the battleground. We had a homecoming tab to do.
Elaine was responsible for the content. For weeks her and Lisa had been getting the stories typed up. They teamed up with L.J. to hide the files on the computer in an attempt to keep Rob away from them.
That night Elaine, L.J. and I worked until 10:15 p.m. putting the tab together.
When I returned to work the next day Rob was upset because I hadn’t arrived at 6 a.m. He didn’t care that I had a worked a 16- hour day before. By this time nothing this man did or said surprised me. I ignored him the best I could. He left and headed to the pharmacy. He returned with a bottle of Tums.
He told me I was welcomed to one if he made me sick. He then told me I had an unprofessional attitude toward him and that I should show him respect.
I informed him that I was raised to respect hard working decent honest people, not ones who curse, yell and degrade others.
After another day of missing deadline and choking down insults. I came home and called Johnny at home. I didn’t care if it made him mad or not, I was at a breaking point.
He was very nice and he listened to my concerns. So far so good, it was more than what William would do. To my surprise, Johnny agreed that Rob lacked design skills. Johnny also informed me that I had done a good job as acting managing editor. He then told me that if I had had a little more experience behind me, he would have offered me the position.
I was stunned after days of belittlement someone was listening. The positive moment would be short lived.
Chapter 14
The next day the yelling started bright and early. I had had enough and started gathering my stuff to leave. Rob begged me to stay and told me I couldn’t quit. I told him it was a free country and I could quit if I wanted. He pleaded with me to stay and promised to be better and headed for the golden arches to buy breakfast.
I told William I couldn’t take much more. He laughed and told me he thought that Rob and I had a brother-sister relationship.
The situation had become humorous to him. I felt like I was in a bad reality show, except there was no prize for the winner.
Rob returned with breakfast and actually left me alone. It was homecoming and he wanted the paper out. So instead of verbally attacking me, he showered other staff members with insults for a change.
He went to the back room where Lisa was typing a story for Elaine. He asked Lisa to change some things and she refused. Elaine had worked at the paper for nearly 40 years and was respected by all. She was very particular about her work. It required very little editing if any.
When Lisa refused to complete Rob’s request, he became enraged. He started beating on his chest and screaming he was the managing editor and she was to do what he asked.
L.J. was furious and marched to William’s office. She slammed the door so hard it broke. Finally someone else had had enough. The entire staff was in a state of chaos. We were all dealing with crisis that rainy morning.
Karen answered a phone call. It turned out to be the police. Rob had parked in front of the salon next door. The owner decided to complain. Staff members including myself had adopted the shop as a place of refuge. Many of us would go over and share horror stories with her. She would often joke that she was going to place praying hands on the window to symbolize a safe haven.
Rob went out into the rain to move his car. Soon L.J. came out of William’s office. She had a look of mission accomplished. William finally spoke to Rob about his yelling.
I couldn’t help but wonder why William would listen to L.J. but not me. At that point I didn’t care. I just wanted to enjoy the peace.
Chapter 15
The next day Rob was a little nicer. Johnny was coming to town the following week. The staff and I hoped he would be the knight in shining armor and rid us of Rob’s evil.
I decided that Johnny’s upcoming visit was the reason for Rob’s improved behavior. But then the insults were back. This time they were directed at Lisa.
Rob told me he didn’t like her and that he thought she was “snippy.” He later told Elaine that he forbid her to be friends with her. He then stated that he could pull anyone off the street to do what she did.
Cindy entered the building to pick up the camera. She asked Chuck to help her change the camera’s batteries. Rob slammed his hand in disgust. He was mad that Chuck was loading batteries instead of working on a story. The antics resulted in Chuck yelling and begging for peace.
It was the first time I heard Chuck yell. It was clear this situation was taking its toll on everyone. A little while later Rob became enraged over the computer and slammed his hand so hard on the file cabinet that both Chuck and I flinched. I’m sure my heart skipped a beat or two as well as Chuck’s.
We finally completed the paper two hours late. I made my way to the back to find Rob talking with L.J. about missing deadlines. Of course in his eyes I was the problem.
Chapter 16
Rob asked me to come in on Monday to start Tuesday’s paper. He knew Johnny was coming and didn’t want to miss deadline that day. I agreed to come in on Monday. He then asked that I arrive for work at 4 a.m. on Tuesday. I refused and explained there was no sense in coming in early unless he was there with his content ready to go. There was very little of the paper I was allowed to do with out his consent so why come in and do stuff only to have to redo it.
Rob was furious and once again beat on his chest exclaiming the entire time he was in charge.
I went to William and informed him of the request and pointed out that coming in early to do nothing would only add to his overtime issues. Once again the result was the same. William ignored my rationale. Instead he informed me that I would be there at the requested time even if they had to pay me to file my nails and get donuts.
I left the office in disgust. I met Elaine and L.J. for lunch. L.J. shared some things that William had told her. It seemed that William and Johnny believed that I was going to sabotage the computers and quit and they were prepared to sue.
Thoughts of being set up by the trio of Rob, William, and Johnny ran through my head. I made the decision to end this nightmare now. I asked L.J. to accompany me back to the office. I cleaned out my stuff and left the Bible on Rob’s desk with a note that he should read it sometime.
We locked up the building and left. For me, my time of putting out the paper was done. What I had hoped to be a promising start to a career had turned into a travesty.
I later composed a letter of resignation for Johnny. I made one last trip to the paper on Monday to return my key and drop off the letter. Cindy, Jackie and Karen were there. I said my goodbyes.
Jackie decided that it was time for her to get out as well. We made plans to meet the next day to look for new work. We went to the employment office, where I filed for unemployment and she applied for jobs.
We called the paper to get the scoop on the day’s events. It seemed that Rob and William were in disbelief that I quit. Other staff members were threatening to do the same.
I took Jackie to a staffing agency. She applied and by the end of the day had been offered a better job. Upon informing William of her decision, he offered her a raise to stay and she accepted.
I remember when she called to tell me that she had decided to stay. I understood why she did it. She had kids to take care of and she seemed to like her job. It sounded like a desperate act by William to try and keep a sinking ship a float. He knew if others walked, his stories to Johnny would be blown out of the water.
Chapter 17
Three days after I left, William found two people to replace me, Mike and Sue. Sue quit after her first day stating she couldn’t work with the likes of Rob. And she wouldn’t be the last as Karen also quit six days after me.
While the revolving door swung open and shut at the small paper, I was out for justice. I had filed for unemployment and was calling every agency I could think of.
I took my story to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. I wanted to look into the possibility of an age discrimination suit since I was told I was too young to be an editor. The irony of the comment was the fact that I was older than Shannon.
The representative read my stories and listened to my complaints and told me there was nothing they could do. The representative went on to say that in her many years at her job I was only the second person she had dealt with that had been told they were too young.
She also said that she believed a law to protect younger workers from this type of discrimination couldn’t hurt.
I left disappointed but not surprised. So far it seemed everything in this situation was against me. I contacted a handful of attorneys and received the same answer. There was nothing I could do but file for unemployment. It seemed that since I quit and didn’t stick around until they fired me or collapsed with a medical condition, my chances of a lawsuit was dead in the water.
If they would have fired me, I could have sued for discrimination, harassment and wrongful termination.
Chapter 18
Nearly three weeks after the fact, I received a letter from the Employment Security Commission stating the following:
The best evidence is you voluntarily quit your position with the paper due to a hostile work environment. You had been subjected to disparaging remarks and angry outbursts by the managing editor. You attempted to speak to the managing editor and the general manager. However the situation continued. No employee should be subjected to continued abusive language from his or her supervisors. Therefore, you quit with good cause and benefits are allowed.
For the first time since this nightmare started, someone had listened and did the right thing.
However, I knew I wasn’t out of the woods yet as Johnny was sure to appeal.
And sure enough here it came, the notice of appeal.
Johnny sent a letter to the commission stating:
“I read with amazement and concern your findings on the separation of employment between the parties. Your statements of “hostile work environment” and “continued abusive language” are not only off base, but offending…
I feel that if we were to have a “hostile work environment it would affect more than one of our 17 employees. That behavior has never been nor never will be tolerated by any of my companies. Again, I’m disappointed in your findings and your lack of investigation into the matter that has brought you to such a biased conclusion.”
I couldn’t believe my eyes. Was this man for real? First of all he never even took the time to come and see for himself the problems in the office, second of all Karen quit just days after I did.
Chapter 19
The packet also contained four questions the commission asked Johnny.
The first one asked why I was no longer employed there. His answer was hurt feelings.
The second one asked if it was true that I was asked to teach Rob his job, Johnny’s answer: “I can’t speak to that.”
The third asked about the verbal abuse I was subjected to and if I had spoke to him about it. He replied that I had.
The fourth question asked about Rob’s yelling when the equipment wouldn’t work, Johnny’s answer was, no response.
It was obvious to me that William was not telling Johnny the truth about things and I knew the war was about to go into the next stage.
Chapter 20
One morning while grocery shopping, I ran into a long time friend, Sharlett. We always joked about climbing the ladder of success. I told her that I had started the climb and was thrown off the ladder by Rob. I told her the story and she directed me to her attorney, Karli.
I left the store and called Karli. She listened to me and told me to come in on Monday. Like the others she told me I should have stayed. At this point the unemployment hearing was creeping up and I was forced to turn my attention to coming out on top in the matter.
Karli agreed to assist me in the matter.
I found myself faced with still another crisis. I needed my former colleagues to validate my story for the hearing. This would require having them subpoena.
I talked to nearly everyone about the upcoming situation, they all seemed to understand and wanted to do the right thing.
Everyone was just trying to make the best of a bad situation. I started preparing for the hearing. In the end I had what seemed like a mini-publication, hours of tape and five former co-workers to back up my claims.
Chapter 21
At last the hearing day arrived. I had to be at the attorney’s office and on the phone at 1 p.m I couldn’t help but think about my former colleagues and wonder if they were as nervous and upset as I was.
While waiting for the hearing I phoned about a job at another area paper.
The ACT was looking for a managing editor. I thought why not. I spoke to the publisher and had a positive conversation outside Karli’s office.
I hung up the phone and returned to reality. The hearing was minutes away and Karli was not there yet. I tried not to panic, but I felt like the cloud that seems to follow me was about to unleash another thunderstorm.
Just then Karli arrived but didn’t have her keys. The unthinkable seemed to be happening. It was shaping up that I was not going to make the call on time and lose the fight for justice.
Then with three minutes to spare, Karli’s sister showed up. We raced in and got on the phone. Finally I was on the phone, but then the cloud was back. Karli’s phones were not working correctly.
In the end she had to use the phone at her front desk and I was in her office so we would not be able to communicate quietly if the need arose.
While we were working out the kinks, the scene seemed to be just as hectic at the paper.
William and Rob were on the line to defend the paper. Chuck, Jackie, L.J., Lisa, and Karen were on the line as my witnesses. In all 10 people were ready to do battle. Chuck, Jackie, and L.J. were in the office with William and Rob on speakerphone.
Lisa refused to join the crowd so she was making the call from her home, as was Karen.
Chapter 22
Finally the hearing was under way. The hearing officer explained the procedures and asked if both sides had received the pertinent documents in the mail. Both sides verified that they understood and had the proper documents.
As the officer began William suddenly interrupted, claiming he didn’t know that he could have an attorney.
The officer explained that he had just answered that he had received all the information, which stated that legal council was allowed.
Soon the testimony began. I explained the hell I had went through. Karli pointed out that there were two weeks worth of tape recordings in addition to the clip I had submitted as evidence.
Karen testified to the verbal abuse that I had put up with along with the entire staff. She also stated that from the first day Rob was hired he harassed, belittled, cursed, yelled, beat on his desk, and threw fits, all directed at me.
The fact that she quit a few days after me spoke volumes as well. I was convinced this would be an open and shut case.
It came time for the others to speak. William asked questions of the witnesses. He portrayed the story as I instigated the problems. He also focused on the fact that we missed deadline and had spelling and grammar errors.
Chuck testified to the fact that I did not provoke Rob’s outburst.
The big surprise were the knives that Jackie and L.J. stuck deep in my back. When it came their turn to speak, nothing but lies poured out of their mouths. It sounded as if Jackie was reading a script. They backed William’s claims that the situation was my fault. Jackie told of the first day that I quit and how it hurt the entire staff.
She was right in a sense. My leaving did hurt the staff, but management hurt everyone by allowing the behavior and I had to stand up for myself.
Chapter 23
On one hand I couldn’t believe they were doing this, but then again I could. When doing the right thing means putting your job on the line often the doing the right thing principal goes out the window.
I hoped that L.J. would testify to the fact that management had targeted me and that Rob was a bully.
I believed that much of the same would come from Jackie, but instead they committed perjury.
After they finished their false testimony. I controlled my out bursts. I knew that if I erupted in outrage it would just reflect bad on me. I hurt from the daggers but I knew I would have to wait until later to deal with the wounds.
Soon it was Lisa’s turn. William did his best to continue painting the scene as if I was the blame and cause of low employee moral, but Lisa would have no part of it. She told the truth and showed more integrity and courage than the entire of group.
Out of the group I had thought L.J. and Jackie were my friends. I had worked with Jackie the entire time, and L.J. just a few months, but I had only worked with Lisa a few weeks, when the situation erupted, yet Lisa told the truth and didn’t seem concerned about her job.
Finally it was Rob’s turn. To my amazement he admitted raising his voice and behaving badly. To me that was almost as shocking as L.J. and Jackie lying.
Chapter 24
After three agonizing hours of mud slinging the hearing came to a conclusion.
Karli told me she didn’t know what to expect. The lies told by the duo seemed damaging, but I had to believe that the fact Karen and Lisa stood up and did what was right would be the game changer.
I went to a friend’s house afterwards but felt like I was at a stranger’s house. The situation had dominated my every thought and move to a point that I couldn’t stand to be around people that were outside the situation. I left and called Lisa.
We met at a Conoco store and discussed the events that had taken place. She told me that the atmosphere was bizarre at the paper after the hearing, but it usually was. She said no one spoke about it and went on about their business.
Chapter 25
As the waiting for the outcome of the hearing began, the next few days were filled with anger, depression and frustration. How could this have happened? It seemed everything that I had worked for in college was up in smoke.
Meanwhile I went through the necessary motions with the employment office.
The entire office was aware of my situation. I’m sure the fact that the hearing lasted three hours made water cooler headlines as well.
During a break at a required seminar I had to attend at the employment office, a worker asked me if I had checked my mail yet. I could tell by her expression the determination had come. I couldn’t wait to get home and see if good had triumphed over evil.
I raced home after the seminar and checked the mail. There it was the envelope with the decision.
I opened it, and found a sheet of paper. At the top it read, “You are allowed benefits.”
Yes! I had a victory. There was always the possibility that Johnny would appeal again, but he didn’t. I had bought myself time financially, now I had to begin the healing process.
Emotionally I was spent. I found myself depressed, angry and of course hurt.
It was wintertime and there were no jobs out there. During this time I became the owner of a longhaired Daschound named Peaches. Peaches became my best friend. I could talk to her about the situation and not drive her away. As for my human friends, we grew apart.
My college friend and fellow UCO graduate, Lori, understood as she too was on unemployment. She was fired from the state press agency because she “Didn’t look happy.” We had both been targeted at our jobs and bullied right out of them.
For weeks we exchanged stories and repeated ourselves on the phone as we worked through the trying times.
Chapter 26
I decided I had to try and make peace with Jackie and L.J. as part of my healing. I saw Jackie at a stoplight we talked and decided all was okay. I told her I knew she was protecting her job and I understood that she had kids to take care of.
Later I talked to L. J. we too called a truce, and went on to have few phone conversations.
I still couldn’t help thinking about what goes around comes around.
In the end it did.
After six agonizing months I finally landed a job as news editor at the ACT.
The same week I started at the ACT, Rob was terminated from the paper. Later L.J. and Jackie would also lose their jobs.
A few years later, Jackie’s lack of integrity would cost her again. She got involved in drugs and was convicted in case in which she was accused of conspiring to set a house on fire. I was working at my hometown paper and covered her court hearings. On one hand it was sad to see her in an orange jumpsuit and handcuffs but on the other hand it was also poetic justice and more proof that throwing your morals out the window will only come back to hurt you.
Chapter 27
While working at the ACT myself and a co-worker were able to revamp a monthly publication that would be inserted into several area papers including the small paper that had attempted to railroad my career.
I was in charge of layout and content and it was perfect.
Once a month William had to insert my work in his paper, this after stating that he would make sure I would never work at another newspaper.
Well not only was I still working at a paper, but my work was being inserted in his failing daily paper.
After nearly two-years at the paper, Lisa found herself tired and she quit with out notice.
Soon she too landed a job at the ACT with me.
Little did I know that my career at the ACT would also end because of a work place bully.
That’s another story. But as they say one thing leads to another. The ACT situation lead me to a position at my hometown newspaper.
I assumed the role of county reporter. I hit the county issues hard, and started setting the standard in county news.
Conclusion
After seven months I was named Journalist of the Year by the State Farm Bureau Association.
Occasionally I would see Chuck at meetings. I managed to scoop him many times on stories, challenging him for the nickname “Scoop.”
He once told me that William would go to him asking why he hadn’t covered the stories that I had.
It seems that Chuck followed my lead. We joked about it and blamed Rob. Chuck said if it wasn’t for Rob I might still be at the small paper, and he could have been right. After a few years Chuck passed away. I heard he died alone.
Elaine would pass several years later as well. The last few times I saw her, she was very complimentary of my work and very glad that I didn’t let the negative experience ruin my career.
William eventually left the small daily paper too. He went on to work for a junior college as a communications director. As a result, I would receive his emails and have the joy of editing them. I ran into him a couple times and was nice but on the inside I couldn’t help but think that he never paid a price for allowing discrimination and harassment to occur in the office.
Lisa eventually quit the ACT and worked with me at my hometown paper, before leaving the newspaper field and finding other means of work. I will alway be grateful for her and Karen telling the truth during that hearing and helping good triumph over evil.
As for Rob, he showed up one day at my hometown paper.
For me it was the second time I had seen him since the drama and I fled out the back door, like a victim running from a rapist. The next time I saw him in the office, I faced him like the champion I had became. He looked at me and said, “You have been doing good work, did you find a mentor?”
I replied, “No I found a non-hostile work environment.”
There are no words that express my true disgust for him. However, it was a sweet victory to be on top of my game at my hometown newspaper for over a decade, knowing that he read my stories to stay informed. He tried many times to get hired. One time he even submitted a self letter of reference. Thankfully he was never hired.
The experience made me a stronger and more determined person and made me aware of what little workplace rights employees have in some states. Today I believe some of that has changed but not enough. However, I have no doubt that a situation like that would not live long in 2023 as lawyers would be all over it as well as women’s right groups and many more. Today I’m still reporting news and Rob, well he is an old lonely man now who seems to have gone silent on Facebook.
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