Took most of yesterday afternoon, but I caught up with over two months of personal checking account records that I’d neglected.
It’s another hot one and probably will continue to be so for two more weeks.
Nice article in the paper about my online petition in support of Tom Fudala.
In fact, the reporter did a great job with several stories about Town government.
Received an email from the AG’s office. They have not yet completed their deliberations on our Open Meeting Law complaint.
After dropping off the recycling at the transfer station, I kept driving to Chatham to visit Carol.
Picked up cheese and other cocktail hour items and wine on the way back.
Stopped at the Brewster ARL to see if they could share any more info on Teddie. Got a compassionate, helpful call from their manager a little later. She explained that Teddie needed to be there for a full 10 days under quarantine but that the decision to euthanize him was based on Ron’s injuries and they could not risk rehoming him.
Meanwhile our Lizzie had a tough day, causing us to consider the same for her. She defecated multiple times, her stomach was growling the whole day and yet she refused to eat.
Fortunately, by the time I got back to the house, things seemed to improve. “May it continue.”
I attended a counter-protest at Bread and Roses bookstore/cafe in Hyannis. Paul Rifkin posted a beautiful photo record of the event. I bought Ron a t-shirt to commemorate.
Meanwhile, a vile member of the community here has filed a complaint against me and several other people following last Saturday’s LCP meeting.
I told Ron that I’d welcome jail as an opportunity to get away from him and the dog. Maybe I could learn to crochet.
I hope we are finished with the heat wave; it pretty much flattened me.
The Fair is over! Handed off our tickets on Sunday to a working person, a tree climber. He said his daughter was looking forward to it.
I did very little over the weekend beside set up an online petition to reappoint Tom and attend an LCP meeting.
Made food for Lizzie and of course, she doesn’t want to eat it.
Today I washed the truck. It had black gunk on the top. Feels good to have it cleaner.
Attended the Select Board meeting last night. Kind of sad without Andrew, but he was smart to bail.
Saw a hummer the other morning.
Lilies and Rose of Sharon have started. Pink phlox is very pretty.
Did a couple of laundries the past two days.
Washed Lizzie’s eyes and very soiled rear end this afternoon. She lied down on the deck, which made it much easier. Poor dog!
Remembered that the plumbers owe us money for the part under warranty.
Attended a joint meeting of the EDIC and Planning Board. Time very well spent, good meeting. Discussion centered around development of underused commercial areas for workforce housing and a review of title problems with the town-owned Commercial Street property.
Next time try not using the word adoption. Just say you were abandoned and raised by strangers and you had no idea until X amount of years ago what that did to your mind and you are working on it.
Once you use the word adoption, unicorns, rainbows, and dancing fairies appear. It’s a magic word..
Ron got loaded this afternoon and finally admitted that he’s not happy, that our marriage is in shambles, that he loved Melody, that she was “close to the top” of people he’s loved and that none of this is my fault.
Thank goodness, thank goodness, thank goodness.
I asked him to think about his next move and said we would revisit this on Monday.
I have been tearing myself up over this for years, knowing all this to be true and hoping he would admit it. And he has. Finally.
I shucked corn, watched last night’s J6 hearing and made food for Lizzie.
I’m just as happy to be lower middle class during summer. No obligation to go anywhere or spend money on anything but fixed expenses and food.
We had frozen pizza last night which I burnt on the Weber.
I set up an online petition to reinstate Tom Fudala to the Sewer Commission.
Very pleased that the Envision group has done a paper petition which they are planning to offer at tomorrow’s LCP meeting. Now I don’t have to do one!
Sent today to:
I humbly request that you amend S2723, an Act addressing workplace bullying, mobbing, and harassment without regard to protected class status while promoting healthy workplaces, as it currently sits before you in the Senate Ways & Means Committee.
To prevent and eliminate damaging behavior, we can not require targeted employees to prove the abuse is intentional, deliberate, extreme, or outrageous. The threshold for proof is too high/nearly impossible to reach. This point is backed by extensive research.
Targets should not have to wait for severe — or any — psychological or physical harm to have a legal claim.
As written, S2723 is regressive, as the Supreme Court has already decided that a hostile work environment is actionable and that psychological injury need not be proven
ITEMIZED CHANGES TO S2723
I humbly request the following for consideration.
Section 1:
Under “Abusive conduct,” at a minimum, delete “A single act normally shall not constitute abusive conduct, but an especially severe and egregious act may meet the standard.” Replace this section with “Abusive conduct is unwanted behavior that creates a hostile, or offensive working environment or otherwise unreasonably interferes with the targets’ work environment” to include most forms of bullying whether or not extreme or outrageous. Add “The behavior itself rather than intent of the offender shall be a factor in whether or not bullying or mobbing has occurred.”
Under “Abusive work environment,” delete “acting with intent to cause pain or distress to an employee, subjects that employee to abusive conduct that causes physical harm, psychological harm, or both;” and leave in “subjects that employee to abusive conduct.”
Eliminate definitions of physical and psychological harm.
Section 2:
(a) Change to “It shall be unlawful for any employee to engage in bullying of another same- or lower-ranking employee without regard to its subject matter or motivation.”
(b) Delete all text including and after “who has opposed any unlawful unemployment….”
Section 3:
Add “Bullying behavior need not be extreme or repetitive to be unlawful but simply be harmful to humanity, violation of basic human rights as to dignity, respect, equality, fairness at work, cause harm, or otherwise create a hostile work environment.”
(b) Eliminate.
Section 4:
(a) Change to “An employee may be individually and criminally liable for a violation of this Act.”
Section 5:
Replace with:
“1. An employer may establish an affirmative defense to limit damages by proving they took all necessary steps to prevent, detect, and remedy behaviors prohibited under this Act based on the totality of evidence presented, including:
They held a neutral, third-party fact-finding investigation of each claim of bullying beginning within 24 hours of employer knowledge of a potential violation under this Act and completion of such investigation within five days unless a clear justification for such extended time exists;
An effective remedial process that assures an immediate cessation and deterrence of any further bullying or retaliation;
Proof of just cause, including proof the employee was notified of violation of a reasonable work rule and the potential penalty for the rule violation, applied fairly and consistently to all employees, including a fair and impartial investigation with due process with proof of violation and a fair and reasonable punishment.”
Section 7 (first one):
Add “An employer may not hold an employee liable under this section. An employee can only hold an employer, same-, or higher-level employee liable under this section so this Act is not used to further damage an employee.”
(b) Eliminate.
Section 7 (second one):
(a) Change to “This chapter shall be enforced by a private right of action or by the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (MCAD). If a claimant files a complaint with MCAD, the statute of limitations for filing a private cause of action is tolled.”
(b) Change one year to three years (as victims often do not feel well enough to sue until they’ve had reasonable time to heal from the trauma of the abuse).
Workers have an inherent right to all of our basic human rights. Equality. Dignity. Respect. Fair Process. This bill will provide much-needed incentive for employers to prevent, detect, remedy, and eliminate workplace bullying and mobbing before targets incur significant harm if amended.
Thank you.
It was 95 degrees, according to one of our neighbors.
I watered tomatoes and almost ruined the biggest one, thinking the root was milkweed: they look alike.
Made a salad and dressing.
Wrote a letter to the editor.
Corresponded with a couple of people. Chatted with another person.
Made the bed. Fed Lizzie, not entirely successfully.
One Crocosmia is blooming.
Planted 7 years ago (May 2015) and I believe this is the first year it blossomed.
Spotted a humming bird at the tall pink Phlox this morning.