EEOC

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is a federal agency charged with ending employment discrimination. The EEOC investigates discrimination complaints based on an individual's race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, disability and retaliation for reporting and/or opposing a discriminatory practice. The EEOC enforces the following:

• Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII), which prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin;
• the Equal Pay Act of 1963 (EPA), which protects men and women who perform substantially equal work in the same establishment from sex-based wage discrimination;
• the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA), which protects individuals who are 40 years of age or older;
• Title I and Title V of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), which prohibit employment discrimination against qualified individuals with disabilities;
• Sections 501 and 505 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which prohibit discrimination against qualified individuals with disabilities; and
• the Civil Rights Act of 1991, which, among other things, provides monetary damages in cases of intentional employment discrimination.

If you are an employee or a former employee who is or was discriminated against, you have the right to file a claim without fear of retaliation by 1199. I have spoken to EEOC Federal Investigator Sean Oliveira, from the New York District Office, he is waiting to hear your complaints and willing to help you fight for your rights.


During my time working for Human Resources, I was witness to countless violations protectect by the EEOC. Believe it or not, HR is involved in the practice of “selective” hiring. If you do not fit the right profile, regardless of your qualifications, you WILL NOT get hired. I have seen many applicants go thru “mock” interviews and being denied an opportunity based on how they look, dressed, smelled or even if they looked pregnant.

Have you seen anyone in a wheelchair working in the fund? How about someone partially blind? How about an amputee? The answer is no. Not because HR has never had a qualified disabled applicant, but because the Fund discriminates by refusing to provide a reasonable accommodation for an employee who has a disability and is qualified to do the job.

Sexual harassment is considered sex discrimination under the Act, as is treating an employee adversely because of pregnancy. How many female employees in the fund have seen their opportunities of advancement cut short just because they decided to start a family?

The Fund’s disciplinary practice is also “selective”. Have you ever wondered why it seems like you are only person being disciplined in your department while others with the same amount and sometimes more violations go untouched? The answer is simple:
You either made the mistake of posting for a promotion, complained about your working conditions or superiors, or your physical condition (sickness or disability) has become a problem and your department needs to get rid of you.

The fact is whether you know it or not, at some point during your employment, you have been discriminated against by the Fund. Believe me, I know.

Tell us what you think.

A Word of Advice

The intention of this Blog was to bring to light the injustice going on in our Fund. The idea is that if we stay united fighting for the same purpose we will accomplish what divided we can’t.

It is understood that many of us had so much anger built in and perhaps this was the only venue you sought to let it out. That said, personal attacks that have nothing to do with the Fund, will no longer have no place on this Blog. Starting this morning, we stopped tolerating any type of posting without moderating it. Any posts that contains personal insults or allegations without proof will not be posted. We encourage you to email us documents, pictures, recordings or anything that could back up your allegations.

We welcome your posts as long as they are not about anything that wouldn't hold any bearing on the issues mentioned. Stick to the real issues at hand. Stick to the topics.

I am sure everyone knows that what we have started here is something that has never been done. We do it because we believe in the bigger cause, we do it because we believe in these principles:

Fair representation
Equality of Pay
No to Favoritism
No to Discrimination
No to Wrongful Terminations
Respect for our workers from a clerk to a director.

We refuse to believe that in 1199 Family of Funds, the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this Fund. And so, we are fighting to have a chance to cash this check, a check that will give us upon demand the riches of fairness and the security of justice.

They will not silence us, they will not silence you.
Together we stand, divided we will continue to fall…

Ethics and the Lack of...

Message to Mitra:

In your email of 12/9 and 12/10 you assured the employees of the Fund that everything said on this blog was false and unethical. Proof of your deceit and cover up has made its way to us. Proof which by the way, is public records.

Giving you the benefit of the doubt, we are offering you a chance to make it right. Please understand that nothing we say on this blog is false. There is evidence to everything we say and we will continue to divulge it until we see compliance to the following demands:

1. A formal apology to the employees of the fund for all the wrongdoings during your administration and a promise of an investigation into all the allegations posted on this blog.

2. The immediate unconditional resignation of Donna Rey

3. The immediate unconditional resignation of Brandy Shiloh

4. An inquire and review into all terminations that have occured since Donna Rey and Brandy Shiloh have been part of your administration and the reinstatement of all employees found to have been wrongfully terminated.

5. Grant or allow the employees of the funds to vote on total immunity for the creators of this blog.

The credibility of your upper management staff is in question, especially that of Donna Rey and Brandy Shiloh. For you to continue ignoring the facts is an insult to every employee and member of our Fund and to everything we fought and stand for.

Remember, complete transparency is a requirement to restore confidence in your administration. In order to keep your Staff informed, all of your findings should be posted on the intranet.

Message to the Union President

George Gresham,

The fund is threatening employees with prosecution and termination if they participate in this blog.

What ever happened to our right to speak?
Isn't that what our Union fights for?
What would our Union do if management at one of the institutions will threaten our members the same way?

George, we are all waiting to see what you say.

You need us on your side for the rallies, now we need you on our side.

The Blog is Live!!!

Do not let the fund silence you.

This blog has been created for employees to voice their true opinions. In her email today, Mitra asks employees to voice their complaints to Human Resources, some of us have learned that doing so is just futile.

As long as there is corruption in Human Resources, any complains to Brandy Shiloh and Bradley Soto will be squashed so that their boss, Donna Rey could week after week present to you a picture of a jovial fund. Our complaints will never be heard.

Mitra, allow your employees to speak. It will be the only way for you to find out what is really going on under the watch of the people you entrust.

George Gresham, do something before your members find out how their contributions are being wasted.

(un)Fair representation

For many years, management (unlimited employees) have worked for the fund under a contract without union representation.

Logic says that if we work for 1199 National Benefit Fund, there is no need for union representation, after all, we work for a union who's primary goal is "to secure a highly satisfied and motivated workforce with high morale and a strong voice on the job" a union that fights for "dignity, respect and fairness for our members and our families".

As we know, since last year, all of these principles have gone out the window. Fair representation or even the "right" to fair representation do not exist if you are an unlimited employee at the fund. We are told by the Director of Human Resources and her Manager of Labor Relations that as unlimited employees, we have no resources. Unfair accusations of poor performance, rules violations, theft, insubordination, etc have gone uncontested and have caused many of us to lose our jobs. Under the new Director of Human Resources, a record number of employees who were terminated have been re-instated. Although this is a clear victory for the employees, it brings to light the unfair practices of her administration. How many more times do employees need to take their case to the Labor Board in order to get their job back? How many more times does the State of New York needs to prove to our Human Resources that they are being unfair to their employees?.

Yes, although we work for 1199SEIU, we are not protected against the same illegal employer practices we have fought against for so many years. No delegates to represent us. No “Weingarten Rights”, nothing at all…

Is it time for us to organize? The National Labor Relations Act of 1935 guarantees and protects the rights of workers to organize, and to take part in strikes and other forms of concerted activity in support of their demands. Is 1199SEIU the right choice to represent us?

Voice your opinion.


"We are all in this together, by ourselves."

Equal Pay for Equal Work

The Equal Pay Act requires that men and women be given equal pay for equal work in the same establishment.

Newly hired employees get pay an average of 10k to 20k more for doing the same job or even less than you do. Apparently, your years of experience don't mean anything. The fund prefers to get as much work out of you but not pay you accordingly. When was the last time you worked 35 hours in one week? When was the last time you were compensated for the extra hours you put in every week?

There is a double standard when it comes to wages. Apparently, it is "who you know" not what you know the factor which determines how much your salary will be. How is it possible that the Director of Human Resources is allowed to hire her "domestic partner" as a special assistant at a salary of over $90,000 when other Chief's special assistants are hired at rates of $20,000 less. Is she really that much qualified? Was she even tested? it sure seems like preferential treatment especially when she spends most of her day locked up in her office conducting personal business and checking her myspace profile.

Voice your opinion.


"We are all in this together, by ourselves"

Criminal Activities in the Fund

Does the fund guarantee a safe environment to work?

Not until a few years ago, the fund began to conduct criminal background checks on all new hires. You will think that this measure would prevent anyone with a criminal background from working next to you. Is hard to say how safe this procedure has been considering there have been "exceptions" to the rule. As is the case of the Human Resources Director who was given the job regardless of her "felonious" past.

The fact is criminal activities are on the rise. Everyone knows about the drug dealing on the 8th and 21st floor. What is the fund waiting for to do something about it? a shootout?. What can we expect from Human Resources when the Manager of Labor Relations, the person who should enforce the rules, the person who should be an example for us to follow, is one of the biggest perpetrators of theft by telling the admin assistant to change his punches to 9am everytime he comes in late in order for his timecard to look "impeccable". Didn't people get terminated for doing something similar? or is this another "exception" to the rule.

Voice your opinion.


"We are all in this together, by ourselves"

Age discrimination at the Fund

Do you feel that because of your age, you are being treated different and not being offered the same opportunities as other employees? Does the fund offer enough training programs specially tailored for older employees?

Voice your opinion.


"We are all in this together, by ourselves."

Fund illegal terminations

Have you been or are you in the process of being wrongfully terminated or pushed out?

Let us know your experience and why do you feel the Fund was wrong.



"We are all in this together, by ourselves."