Working America's "Bad Boss" Winners Announced

(Washington, August 21) - A cancer victim cheated out of paid leave and a worker forced to stay – and work – in a burning building are this year’s winners in the 2^nd annual “My Bad Boss” contest, sponsored by the AFL-CIO’s Working America.

“Of the hundreds of stories we received, virtually all left you shaking your head,” said Karen Nussbaum, executive director of Working America - the 1.6 million member community affiliate of the AFL-CIO. “While this contest is partly a fun way to vent, it also shines a not-very-flattering light on the American workplace.  When bosses are routinely putting worker – and customer – health and safety a distant second to making a buck, that points to the need for real change.”

Pete, the winner of the “Peoples’ Choice” Grand Prize, is a father of three who was recently diagnosed with a rare form of cancer.  He put in for paid leave and disability benefits at a time when his family desperately needed the money.  His boss threw away the paperwork.

Pete received 1,276 votes from visitors to www.workingamerica.org/badboss/, beating out five other semifinalists including a waitress whose boss knowingly hired her stalker and “Doboy,” whose boss wanted him to keep working and so didn’t tell him that his pregnant wife had called, bleeding and needing to go to the hospital.  Pete wins a weeklong getaway in one of more than 500 locations plus $1,000 to put toward airfare.

The “Most Outrageous Story,” a category selected by staff of Working America, went to the author of “Business is Burning and so are the Employees,” who was the least senior member of the help desk staff at a plant that caught fire.  The plant’s “emergency” plan involved having one person in the office leave every five minutes in order of seniority. Forty-five minutes into the fire, as smoked filled the room, our hero was still there, coughing and answering the help desk phone. This lucky (to be alive) winner gets a trip to Las Vegas and $500 to spend.  For more outrageous finalists go to www.workingamerica.org/badboss/ and click on “runners up.”