The Brooklyn Dodger |
Vol. 25, No. 1 At the IRS - Quality is Job None Apr 15, 2007 |
LET THEM DRINK SEWAGE |
The Brooklyn Dodger |
Published by NTEU Chapter 53 George Greenberg President Bob Schillaci Editor 107 Charles Lindbergh Blvd. 1180 Veterans Highway Garden City, NY 11530 Hauppauge, NY 11788 516 683-5679 631-851-4965 |
EMPLOYEE WISECRACKS |
Bushwhacked...Junior WHY THE HELL CAN'T THESE OVERPAID CREEPS DO THEIR BLANKETY BLANK JOBS |
EDITORIALS |
In February, the Executive Boards of Chapter 53 and 271 approved bylaws reestablishing a Joint Council to coordinate activity against the IRS within the former Brooklyn District. With political stability having been restored in Brooklyn/Queens and the National Labor Relations situation in a state of meltdown due to Commissioner Everson having taken leave of his senses, it seemed to be the ideal time to begin getting our act together at the local level. True, right now they have much worse management in Brooklyn than we have but with the rate at which senior managers are retiring and with what they are hiring as replacements, that can't last long. We expect to make good use of Chapter 271's experience in dealing with psychotic managers. Our day is coming. |
SHAKEDOWN STREET |
A Little Humor |
The abysmal conditions in the Garden City POD are well documented. Ever since the IRS moved there in 1990 it has been one climate control issue after another. These factors coupled with limited support from and an antagonistic attitude toward employees by the Senior Commisioner's Representative's staff frustrates and infuriates the employees. This winter during a spell of unseasonably cold weather in early February there were at least 5 separate instances where sections of the building had no heat. Temperatures in those areas were around 57 degrees. On several of those mornings, no one from the SCR's staff could be found (one suspects that they were off somewhere trying to keep warm!). In one particularly galling instance, around 10:30 AM (more than 2 hours after most employees report for work) someone from facilities walked around with what looked like a magic wand telling employees dressed in overcoats and gloves that the temperature was 68 degrees in their area. When the frostbitten people pointed out that the wall thermometers and a portable thermometer purchased by an employee all read 57 degrees, the facilities genius responded "But my thermometer is calibrated". This further enraged the already irate employees. Maybe this facilities person figured by riling up the people it would cause their blood to boil, thus eliminating the need for heat! We guess that building management with their twisted logic figures 57 degrees is acceptable because after you factor in the days in the summer when the temperature exceeds 85 degrees, you will have an average temperature of 71 degrees! Naturally, grievances were immediately filed on the issue. However, instead of seeking an immediate resolution to the problem, management tried to pass the buck, which is all too common in this post-restructured IRS. The local Commissioner's Representative passed off the problem to Chris Palin, Senior Commissioner's Representative for NY State. Palin wrote to Chapter 53 "Mass grievances involving employees in more than one division or organizational equivalent will be filed with the first level Executive in either Division. I am returning this grievance to you to re-file with a first level Executive in either impacted Division. " We followed the SCR's lead and forwarded the grievances to SB/SE Area Director Bill Marshall and LMSB DFO Cheryl Claybough. Within the hour Palin phoned NTEU Chapter 53 president George Greenberg stating that he would be handling the matter. We were told that Bill Marshall delivered a strong message to Palin that this problem was the SCR's responsibility. After a few well-placed calls and E-Mails up the SCR's chain of command the problem was resolved. Since then we have not had any instances of no heat in the Garden City POD, but we know not to get too excited because summer is just around the corner and the A/C in this building is very unreliable. The next situation leads us to believe if they can't break us by freezing us maybe they will try to break us with tainted water. Recently, the employees received the following E-mail: IMPORTANT FLUSHING NOTICE FOR GC - Between April 30, 2007 to May 18, 2007 The Town of Hempstead will be flushing water mains throughout its service areas as part of the regular Distribution Maintenance Program so as to remove any accumulation of solid materials, which may have settled in the mains. Slight water pressure variations or discolored water conditions may occur during this period. REMEMBER, THE WATER IS ABSOLUTELY SAFE TO DRINK, but laundering of clothes and other water uses requiring clear water supply may be affected. The Department will flush hydrants in our area - Mondays through Fridays only, between 8:00 am to 3:30 pm. The above is extracted from a notice issued by Town of Hempstead. Any questions, please give me a call. So. Don't wash your clothes in it but it's okay to drink it? Thanks for nothing. The Union immediately requested bottled water be brought into the Garden City POD. When faced with an issue of questionable water quality in Hauppauge, the Commissioner's Representative there , Mike Bernstein, promptly had bottled water supplied to that office. To this point SCR Palin, citing 'budget concerns', has not committed to supplying bottled water to the employees in the Garden City POD. Palin is obviously from the Marie Antoinette School of Human Relations. You know what happened to her for her "Let them eat cake" line, don't you, Palin? We guess its fine for the peasants to drink discolored water as long as the agency doesn't go over budget. This is another illustration of the mismanagement of the Garden City facility by the SCR and his staff. Sadly, it has become painfully obvious to us that they do not consider the health and safety of the employees in the Garden City POD to be a priority. As we have done in the past, if anyone gets sick because of Palin's parsimony we will only be too happy to assist that employee in any lawsuit they choose to file against Palin and the IRS. |
In January, The New York Times' Pulitzer Prize winning reporter on tax matters, David Cay Johnston, wrote a story which may have been a surprise to the rest of the country but which was certainly well known to us. In it he described how he learned from IRS Agents that the Large and Mid-Size Business Division was deliberately curtailing audits of major corporations in an effort to boost "productivity." Mr. Johnston did not say, but we will, that in addition to getting quick closings the IRS is also giving an effective tax cut to politically well-connected corporations. Against a backdrop of angry employees who feel that their own managers and executives are stabbing them in the back as they try to do their jobs the LMSB trotted out Debbie Nolan to refute the claims. Nolan gave out the company line that the IRS was not letting the richest corporations in the world get away with murder and that she had never heard any complaints by agents that significant tax issues were being ignored in the interest of quick and superficial audits. Well, the TIMES doesn't need any help from us and the story speaks for itself. What we found interesting was that the day after the story appeared Nolan recorded a self-serving Voice Mail message designed to cover her butt. In the message she claimed to have spent much time with Johnston and, on the one hand claimed to defend employee professionalism while on the other hand blaming employees for refusing to accept the changes that she had put in.....to let rich corporations cheat on their taxes with no effective oversight. As it so happens, a text version of her message was posted on the Intranet and, in the words of the Chapter President, quickly pulled. Unfortunately for Nolan in that short period of time when it was posted Chapter 53 printed it out and now has it safely stored. Click on the Star in the margin to read her double talk for yourself. What we found most interesting, especially in view of the following article, is Nolan's assertion that the problem comes from "experienced agents" who are being told to do their jobs differently. In fact, they feel that they are not being allowed to do them at all. |
During a break in contract negotiations in Washington, two IRS management types and one NTEU official strode into the men's room and each moved to a urinal. The AWSS manager finished and walked over to the sink to wash his hands. He then proceeded to dry his hands very carefully. He used paper towel after paper towel and ensured that every single spot of water on his hands was dried. Turning to the other two men, he said, "At AWSS, we are trained to be extremely thorough." The second man, the Labor Relations Specialist assigned to the negotiation, finished his task at the urinal and proceeded to wash his hands. He used a single paper towel and made sure that he dried his hands using every available portion of the paper towel. He turned and said, "At Labor Relations not only are we trained to be extremely thorough, but we are also trained to be extremely efficient." The NTEU official finished and walked straight for the door, shouting over his shoulder, "At NTEU, we learn not to piss on our hands." |
SPEAKING OF WHICH |
Report Says US Should Keep Older Workers |
Chapter 53 wonders what would happen to "embedded quality" if workers did this? |
Recently retired Agent, Bill Schuh, had these words for the IRS as he walked out the door. "After 35 years of working for this place I would rather shovel sh*t in the street than to continue working here." We know how Bill feels. After reading the New York Times story about how LMSB is giving away the store, one of those LMSB agents speculated that "now, in LMSB, employees will be disciplined for reading the New York Times." |
GUEST EDITORIAL |
There are times when the arrogance of management reaches a point where we have to give it to you in their own words. In this case the offender is Group Manager, John Post. Post sent an e-mail to schedule a meeting to go over the Embedded Quality fiasco. In spite of the fact that the Agreement itself states that "EQRS reviews will serve as one factor in the appraisal process," Post had the nerve to write: "Employees have been allotted three hours to complete the material. Please remember that this change does not effect them; since, they are being reviewed on the same CJE and elements. It primarily effects the Manager, who now has to complete the review electronically instead of on paper. " We guess he expects employees to feel sorry for the poor managers who now have been handed another weapon to beat people up with but have to still do a little work on their computers. Doesn't your heart just bleed for Post and his colleagues? As Chapter 53 Trustee, Pat Jary, commented: "Stupid people say stupid things." |
In March, the Government Accountability Office issued a report which said that "the government -- as an employer of millions that is facing a wave of retirements -- must set a standard for changing the culture of retirement and removing obstacles to older workers staying in their jobs past when they're eligible to leave." Rumor has it that Debbie Nolan ran screaming from the building when told of the report. As one participant said, "If you really value employees with good experience, instead of losing them, maybe there is something we can do to keep them longer and train the people behind them." Oh, really. With managers like Nolan and programs like "embedded quality" it is a cinch that the IRS is not involved in this idea. |
Chapters 53 and 271 Form Joint Council |
{Editor's Note: The essay below was written by a fellow IRS worker last December when Congress adjourned without passing the Appropriations Bills needed to fund the various agencies. This person is not located in our area so management can forego the witch hunt to find out who it is who thinks they are such a bunch of fools. We'll never tell and the piece has been edited to make sure there are no identifying comments. Some people may believe that the IRS does not retaliate but we know better. In any case, the pain, rage and anguish expressed by someone who is desperately trying to do their job in spite of the roadblocks that IRS management throws up comes through so graphically that we could not resist. The headline, above, is the author's original title. We cannot improve upon it. } |
I work long hard hours under so much stress. I could not even find time to go to all the sessions covered by the Employee Assistance Program counselor for job related issues. I work when I'm sick. I check my messages when on leave. We were gone on vacation for a week in November. My spouse and I hadn't taken a week's vacation in 20 years and, stupidly, I called in to check my voice messages. Of course, they were urgent. While on annual leave I had to get a co-worker to do some stuff for me. I'm expected to do my job. We all are. So why are THESE ASSHOLES exempt? They should have to forfeit pay for every day that goes by after the deadline. Excuse the profanity but I am just so fed up with being evaluated and criticized on what I haven't done instead of what I have done. THE WHOLE F***ING PROBLEM IS THAT WHAT I CONSIDER TO BE IN THE GOVERNMENT'S BEST INTEREST IS NOT WHAT IS IN MANAGEMENT'S BEST INTEREST. Hmm, I'm seeing a common problem here. CONGRESS makes our rules, so they set up the system to measure us on what we have not done. So it's back to these jerkoffs again. As the song from the 80s goes, "I need a new drug" cause mine ain't workin' today" obviously. I'll be 50 in a week. Then I can start my 5 years and counting.....I started with IRS right out of college, so I've already put in 27 and 1/2 years. I'm burnt out but I keep trying to do everything they demand. It's impossible. The more you work, the more you generate and then the more you have to do. You get in trouble for missing follow-ups and deadlines.then you get in more trouble for not taking the stupid time to document each history as to why you didn't do what you had planned to do. Every day, there seems to be a "jump up to top priority" something. If you take enforcement action, the taxpayer appeals. Everything you do seems to have some requirement for 24 hour input. Managers always need this or that NOW. Then there are walk-ins you didn't expect. Phone calls. Mail. Email ugh, my inbox has 600 messages, and all the asinine computer problems (haha...I thought "asinine" would be spelled "assinine" since it is synonymous with "stupidass" So I spell checked the document. It picked up "jerkoffs" and recommended "jerk offs". That should be the spelling of choice since congress members brains do have a blank spot in the middle!) Patches, fixes, re-boots, mandatory actions needed. Well, bah humbug. I need to go do Christmas shopping. I don't have time to get ready for Christmas thanks to IRS.I think Congress should have to stay in session throughout the holidays until they get their stupid job done. Maybe a drink will help. It will be afternoon in four minutes. I love you guys. Thanks for letting me rant. |
{Editor's note: No. Thank you. } |
In Memoriam Peggy Regan |
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Directories give the IRS' address as 107 Charles Lindbergh Boulevard but 'SHAKEDOWN STREET' seems more appropriate. IRS management has a new tactic to make your life miserable. Mission Assurance (Security) has decided that the Federal Protective Police will enforce motor vehicle laws and start to ticket vehicles for moving violations in the Garden City office parking lot. When Judy Fanning, the head of Mission Assurance, was questioned about this policy she stated not only did she know about it, she ordered its implementation. She explained that it has been in effect in the Service Center parking lot for quite some time and with much stricter enforcement. We find this latest initiative to be both troubling and puzzling. The Garden City office is LEASED BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. We are curious about the question of jurisdiction in the Garden City office parking lot. In the past, when there were incidents of employees' vehicles being vandalized, we were told that the building is private property and to call the police. Now, the Federal Protective Police spend their time watching for moving violations in our parking lot and enforcing traffic laws. Will they act if they see a car being broken into? We hope they will react with some urgency if there is a disturbance inside the building (where they actually have jurisdiction) that may result in someone being injured or killed !! The way these "tickets" are issued is outrageous. An employee who got one said that she had left the parking lot and was pursued by an FPS vehicle with its lights flashing. She was pulled over at least one-half mile from the office. One of the first questions asked by the FPS officer was if she was an IRS employee. When she responded "yes", the FPS officer claimed that she failed to at a stop sign in the parking lot. We suspect that if the answer was "NO", all that would have been issued was an apology. The employee stated there is no stop sign at the spot where the alleged violation occurred. The FPS officer stated that there is a white painted line on the ground with the word "STOP" in front of it and that is the equivalent of a stop sign. The employee was issued $100 "ticket". The amount was filled in at the time of issuance by the FPS officer. The ticket did not clearly state how to plead not guilty, nor did it state a court location or date. The employee was lead to believe that she had to appear in Federal Court in Charlotte, NC to appeal! Research conducted by NTEU Chapter 53 President George Greenberg revealed that the person needs to appear in the Federal Courthouse in Central Islip, NY. should they decide to appeal the ticket. We would love to hear what the U.S. Attorney who gets assigned to "prosecute" this "ticket" thinks about it, or the judge who presides over this "case". We know the IRS has always claimed to have budgetary problems due to the fact that salaries account for a significant percentage of its budget and Congress does not fully fund pay raises. Maybe the IRS is trying to recoup some of its salary costs $100 at a time through its new employee "ticketing" program. We are currently pursuing all the legal remedies available to us including contacting Nassau County. In the meantime be careful when in the IRS Garden City office parking lot and watch your wallets. |
The cartoon we did not have room for in the print edition |
