I’ve said it previously in other posts. I was raised in a small town in the mountains of Southwest Colorado, where I learned that a man’s handshake was his word, and his word was his bond. For many during the 70’s when I was growing up, it was an unshakeable code of the west. Things…
Plotkin "Inappropriate" Comments Revealed: They're Kidding, Right?
The alleged comments that got SAIF CEO John Plotkin fired last month were recently made available to me, and if accurate they only bring additional incredulity to the entire affair. Plotkin, who was let go for “making inappropriate comments” to employees after just 3 months on the job, was terminated with such speed and absence…
Now Ignoring Co-Workers is Worse Than Bullying Them
We thought being harassed by the office bully was bad, but it turns out that overt harassment is better than having him ignore us completely. I can barely keep up with the worst offensive actions of the workplace. I've written about office bullying in the past, but a recent study now indicates that bullying isn't…
SAIF Offers "Name Clearing Hearing" to John Plotkin – But Whose Name Are They Trying to Clear?
The Oregon Department of Justice, speaking on behalf of SAIF Corporation, the Oregon workers’ compensation state fund, has extended an offer to recently terminated CEO John Plotkin to hold a “Name Clearing Hearing”. The ludicrous offer is apparently intended to give him an open forum to tell his side of the story, and reads as…
A Lake Tahoe Lesson for Workers' Comp
My wife and I flew in to Reno on Tuesday, and since we are traveling with her bicycle, I had reserved an intermediate SUV to accommodate our needs. The rental agency did not have any vehicles in that class, so they upgraded me to the largest one they had – a black GMC Yukon XL;…
Bob's Guide to Political Correctness
It has become obvious to me that political correctness, that creeping, insidious thought-cancer that has permeated every fiber of our societal existence, is here to stay. It is equally obvious to me that some of you Neanderthals that read my blog are still struggling with the concept, and this may be limiting your social and…
Governor Kitzhaber, Is Oregon the New North Dakota?
Dear Governor Kitzhaber, I have been very critical in the past of the Peoples Republic of North Dakota (PRND), for the treatment received by a past director of Workforce Safety & Insurance. WSI is North Dakota’s state fund for workers’ compensation insurance, similar to your SAIF Corporation, except it is monopolistic. Unlike your agency it…
McDonald's Workers Fight to Automate Their Jobs
The news out of Illinois this morning tells us that up to 2,000 people, including 325 uniformed employees, descended on McDonalds' Headquarters yesterday in advance of the company's annual shareholder meeting to demand that the company pay their workers' “what they are worth”. I am not privy to the convoluted calculations involved, and have no…
Oh, We ALMOST Had 11 Million!
It was so close. Right there, brazenly displayed at the top of the Drudge Report, the headline; RECORD 10,996,447 ON DISABILITY. That is the number of Americans now officially “disabled” and receiving benefits from Social Security as of the end of April. We only needed 3,553 more to make that very impressive 11,000,000 mark! Frankly,…
Few Were SAIF at the Salem Witch Trials
The resemblance is uncanny. Rapacious accusations of mortal sin, followed by a swift tribunal replete with vague and unsubstantiated evidence. A decisive summation determines the accused is a witch, and they are summarily executed, vanquishing from this noblest earth an evil and repugnant soul; this despite protestations from some professing the innocence of the accused,…